Six-hundred steelworkers laid off as Huta Gliwice closed by shareholders

At the general shareholders' meeting on Saturday the shareholders of Huta Gliwice (HG) steel mill decided to close down the company with the loss of 600 jobs. Slawomir Janik, the controlling stakeholder did not attend the meeting, but was represented by plenipotentiary Krystyna Minkina-Rolof. One hundred HG employees, members of "Solidarnosc" trade union, also attended the meeting and some employees are occupying the board of director's offices. During the meeting employees tried to shut down Minkina-Rolof and presented her and the mill's director, Joachim Gemza, with a severed calf's head and pig's head. "I understand the determination of these people. They' re trying to save their workplace. Nevertheless, the receiver must satisfy the company's creditors first. If the company had not closed down we would have had to go into receivership," said Minkina-Rolof. The striking workers say they will continue their action until a mutually beneficial agreement is reached. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 24) J.K.