Rybnik power plant to reduce and restructure employment

By 2007 the Elektrownia Rybnik (El Rybnik) power plant, controlled by Electricite de France (EdF), will reduce its current staff of 1,447 down to 860, due to substantial over employment which needs to be curbed in order to remain cost-competitive. "We also have to make our staff younger, and employ people in good health. The average age at the plant is presently 45 years," said El Rybnik president Jerzy Chachuła. The management intends to propose around 200 employees a program of voluntary redundancy and it hopes that some other employees would decide to take up offer to set up their own ventures with financial help from the plant. "We will either give loans or guarantee bank ones," said Chachuła. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 9) M.M.