JSW unionists canceled the demonstration in Warsaw; The Deputy Minister of Assets will be the mediator

JSW unionists, demanding payment of more than PLN 300 million in prize money to the crew, have canceled the demonstration in Warsaw scheduled for September 29. The mediator in the company’s class action dispute will be Deputy Minister of State Assets, Marek Visoli.

• Deputy Minister Marek Wisolé met on Friday with the board of directors and trade unionists from JSW.
• Due to the trust we have in him, we have canceled the demonstration planned for September 29, 2023 – informed trade unionists from Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa (JSW).
• It was also agreed to hold a mediation meeting as soon as possible.

The ministry wrote: “After listening to the arguments of both parties, the minister saw the possibility of ending the collective conflict through dialogue with the aim of reaching an agreement between the two parties. He announced that he would assume the role of mediator in the ongoing dispute.” A meeting note was published by unionists on Saturday.

Deputy Minister Marek Wiesoli confirmed his commitment to ending the dispute at JSW with a social media post. “I assumed the role of mediator, and as a result the trade union organizations accepted the willingness to conduct dialogue and canceled the demonstrations scheduled for September 29 in Warsaw in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of State Property,” he wrote.

The collective conflict in Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa has been ongoing since 1 August

On 1 August, the representative unions working at JSW (Solidarity, JSW and Kadra) started a collective dispute, demanding a 15% payment to the company’s employees. The net value of the amount allocated to the so-called solidarity contribution, i.e. a tax imposed on the Jastrzebie-based company on extraordinary profits from coal mining and coke production in 2022.

In August, JSW estimated its obligations under the Solidarity Contribution at PLN 1.6 billion, and the cost of the bonus requested by the unionists – according to the social media site – including employer costs was calculated at PLN 302 million. During subsequent meetings, the unions maintained their demand for the bonus, but the company’s management continually rejects such a request and indicates the possibility of talking about a possible bonus for employees after the third quarter.

Due to the failure of the recent talks, the unionists demanded the appointment of a mediator in the dispute and confirmed the date of the demonstration in Warsaw. However, the visit of Deputy Minister Fiesole on Friday brought – according to the unions – “a shift in the ongoing collective conflict” and the cancellation of the demonstration.

“As you know, we are working efficiently and you can be sure that we will finish the matter, without the shouting and brawling that some union activists from small unions are trying to accustom us to,” JSW representative union representatives wrote to the crew on Facebook.

The wage agreement assumes that wages for JSW employees will increase this year at a rate of 15.4%.

July 21 of this year more than 21 thousand crew of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa have already received an incentive prize ranging from 7.5 thousand PLN to 11.5 thousand PLN. Total PLN per employee. The company has allocated approximately PLN 230 million for the prizes. The payment came as a result of the agreement concluded in February this year. The wage agreement stipulates, among other things, that the salaries of JSW employees rise this year by an average of 15.4%. It was also agreed that after evaluating the results achieved by the company in the first half of the year, talks would begin regarding paying the additional benefit, which happened in July.

In the first half of this year, the JSW Group generated over PLN 2 billion in net profits, with revenues falling by more than 21%. The decrease in revenues was mainly due to a 28.5% decrease in revenues. Average coke prices are 25% lower. Coke prices. In the second quarter of this year alone. JSW’s net profit amounted to approximately PLN 0.8 billion, and group EBITDA exceeded PLN 1.3 billion. In the second quarter, JSW mines produced more than 3.3 million tons of coal, an increase of 1.9 percent from the previous quarter. Lower than in the previous quarter.

JSW Capital Group currently employs more than 30.8 thousand people. Employees, of which more than 21.1 thousand people are employed at Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa itself.