The parliament passes the new mining bill, Solidarity announces strike alert

The Polish parliament passed the mining amendment bill, Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported. The amendment will let the governmentimplement the restructuring plan introduced last week.“The bill gives us a shade of hope,” Brzeszcze mine labor union's members believe. But Solidarity remains unsatisfied. Its president, Piotr Duda announced a countrywide strike alert, “this government is a dictatorship, which will be commanding us, passing bills by night and reforming the railway sector, the energy industry and the health care that way”, he said. As many as 240 members of parliament (MP) voted for, 208 were against the new law and two abstained. Before the main voting, the parliament rejected the motion to abandon the bill, PAP informed. The amendment is to be considered by the Senate (the upper house) on January 21. Under the government’sl plan, four out of 14 mines belonging to Kompania Węglowa will be incorporated into Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń (SRK). SRK is a company designed to implement liquidation of the mines and to create new jobs for the miners. According to the amendment, SRK will be able to sell an acquired mine or a part of its assets. What is more, the company will be able to take over not just the mines but the mining plants as well. The liquidation of the mines is to be financed by the government if the process is completed through 2015. Social security for miners will be covered by privatization revenues collected by the state-owned Guaranteed Workers’ Benefits Fund. While the plan was introduced on January 7, the draft was submitted the day after by a group of MPs, instead of the government, in order to pass it quicker. In line with the plan, four mines belonging to Kompania Węglowa are to be closed, 6,000 employees are to be transferred and around 5,200 will lose their jobs. Other mines will become part of a special purpose entity established by Węglokoks. The rest of the assets are to be sold or liquidated.