Power on the streets
The spectre of major industrial unrest loomed at the beginning of the week, after the country's miners gave an overwhelming thumbs-down to government proposals for an overhaul of the debt-ridden sector. The more than 92,000 miners who took part in a ballot rejected the government's plans by a huge 95% margin. The miners' chief objection was to the idea that one in four of them would be laid off.
At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Economy Minister Jacek Piechota informed his colleagues that negotiations with the miners begun in Katowice the previous day had broken down. Another round of talks with representatives of the 13 largest mining unions was scheduled for Wednesday, and if they failed, the miners were committed to launching strike action, perhaps as early as Thursday. Piechota, however, insisted that no money was available to meet the miners' demands, which included guaranteed rising wage levels and additional pay benefits. He claimed the sector would go immediately bankrupt if the miners' wage demands were met.
By the next day, the threat of strike action appeared to have been averted, with the unions claiming that the government had agreed to their demands on a guaranteed social package, although it appeared that a final solution to the dispute was still some way off.
At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Economy Minister Jacek Piechota informed his colleagues that negotiations with the miners begun in Katowice the previous day had broken down. Another round of talks with representatives of the 13 largest mining unions was scheduled for Wednesday, and if they failed, the miners were committed to launching strike action, perhaps as early as Thursday. Piechota, however, insisted that no money was available to meet the miners' demands, which included guaranteed rising wage levels and additional pay benefits. He claimed the sector would go immediately bankrupt if the miners' wage demands were met.
By the next day, the threat of strike action appeared to have been averted, with the unions claiming that the government had agreed to their demands on a guaranteed social package, although it appeared that a final solution to the dispute was still some way off.
