The World Bank has actively supported the restructuring processes in the mining indus­ try in Poland since 1999.

M ak sy m ilian K lan k publicly ann o u n ced th e p la n s of w inding up u n p ro fit­ able coal m ines an d th e c rite ria th e B oard would consider w hile deciding w h e th e r to close dow n a p a r tic u la r coal m ine. I t is th e very com pany, K om pania W ęglowa, t h a t found its e lf e a rly in 2003 on th e verge of b a n k ­ ru p tcy due to so a rin g d eb ts a n d c h arg es by w ay of ta k in g over loss-m akin g coal p ro du ctio n u n its . A dozen or so days la te r Vice P rim e M in iste r J e rz y H a u s n e r v isitin g th e S ile sian Voivodship acknow ledged t h a t u n p ro fitab le coal m ines w ould be closed down. D u rin g a m eetin g of th e T rip a rtite Group on 24 July, M in iste r J a c e k P iecho ta p re s e n te d th e u n io n ists a new b ill of re s tru c tu rin g u rg in g for fa s t p re s e n tin g a s ta n d by th e tra d e un ion s. The te n sio n am ong m in e rs w hich h a d b een risin g for s e v e ra l w eeks rea c h e d a p e a k la te r in A u g u st w hen th e P re sid e n t of K om pania W ęglowa M. K lan k in a n o th e r m eeting of th e T rip a rtite Com m ission in W arsaw an no u n ced his decision of closing dow n four coal m ines: Bytom II, C e n tru m , “P o lsk a - W irek” a n d “Bolesław Ś m iały ”. The closure of th e m ines w as a condition of th e G overnm ent’s w ritin g off f u rth e r d eb ts (PLN 18 bn) of th e coal p ro ­ duction u n its a n d c o n trib u tin g th e c a p ital of K om pania W ęglowa w ith PLN 800 m so t h a t it w ould be able to pay off its dues to w a rd s g m i n a s a n d th e Social In su ra n c e In s titu tio n an d in d ep e n d e n tly te n d e r for coal tra d e w ith ­ o u t h a v in g to use th e services of in te rm e d ia rie s.

In resp on se to th e p roposals, th e u n io n ists e sta b lish e d th e in d u s tria l actio n HQ an d decided to in te rv e n e by s ta r tin g a n in d u s tria l d isp u te w ith th e C om pany’s B oard. I t w as th e beg in n in g of a h e a te d , te n se a n d la s tin g over tw o m o n th s in d u s tr ia l a c tio n h e ld by th e w orkforce of coal m in e s sub ject to closure (including occupation of th e b u ild in g of K om pania Wę­ glowa, s trik e s of p it w o rk ers a n d ground w ork ers in Bytom , m arch es, p ick ­ e ts etc.) as w ell as tra d e un io n h e a d q u a rte rs . The clim ax of th e d is s a tis ­ faction connected w ith K om pania W ęglowa’s p la n s w as th e d e m o n stra tio n of a group of sev eral th o u sa n d (according to th e u n io n ists’ e stim a tio n ) m in ­ ers on 11 S ep tem b er 2003 in W arsaw. T his b ig g est m in e rs ’ m ass p ro te s t for a dozen or so y e a rs en d ed up w ith a sh e e r b a ttle w hich involved fig h tin g w ith s h a rp tools, b a tte rie s on ch ain s, b o ttles w ith oil, sto n e s a n d flags. In ju re d m in ers, policem en, s h a tte re d w indow s a n d d estro y e d facad es of g o v ernm ent b u ild in g s - such w as th e re s u lt of th is in cid en t, u n p re c e d e n t­ ed in dem ocratic P o la n d (after 1989). The p ic tu re s of th e m a n ife s ta tio n show ed in th e m ed ia shocked th e public opinion a n d b ro u g h t ab o u t a n o th ­ e r wave of public d eb ate on th e s ta te of th e coal sector. A gain, th e re w ere com m ents on th e huge costs in c u rre d by th e s ta te b u d g e t in resp e c t of th e reform . Also, som e c ritic ism s a ro se to w a rd s u n io n s HQ, M in is te r J e rz y H a u s n e r in a h e a te d d eb ate on th e s itu a tio n in th e coal sector w hich w as held in th e Sejm a day a fte r th e m in e rs’ d e m o n stra tio n a tta c k e d th e u n io n lea d e rs say in g t h a t th ey a re p a r t of a path olo g ical a rra n g e m e n t w hich h a d

been m ade w ith in m an y y ears in th e coal sector — an ex tend ed un io n s tru c ­ tu re - ch arg in g th e in d u stry w ith a n n u a l costs a t PLN 100 m, un io n p a r t ­ n e rsh ip s m ak in g p ro fits of m illions, of w hich only a p a r t is devoted to the s ta tu to ry goals. M in ister H a u s n e r’s s ta te m e n ts m ade some of th e M Ps from S ilesia fu riou s, c o u n te r e x p e rt a s se s s m e n ts w ere p re s e n te d show ing no economic ju stific a tio n for th e decisions of closure as in d ic a te d by K om pa­ n ia W ęglowa and th e re w ere th re a ts of escalatio n of m in e rs’ p ro te sts.

In th e p rev ailin g critical co m m en taries th e re w ere some new tones. For exam ple, J a n in a P arad o w sk a, a jo u rn a lis t of P o lity k a observed t h a t for th e firs t tim e in th e public discourse on th e s itu a tio n in th e m in in g in d u stry they h a d been discussing so openly th e am biguous role of th e union o rgan i­ sation in inciting tensions an d u n d erm in in g reform s as well as on th e q u a si­ m afialike stru c tu re s of th e political, busin ess an d union kin d m aking profits o u t of d eb t tra d in g an d agency in coal tra d e (J. P a r a d o w s k a , 2003: 17). In th e sam e co m m entary J . P arad o w sk a, however, drew a tte n tio n to a n ­ other very im p o rta n t for the course of th e m iners’ p ro tests aspect of th e issue — th e in cre asin g fatig u e w ith la stin g for a dozen or so y e a rs r e s tru c tu rin g processes a n d th e accu m u latio n of some n eg ativ e effects of th e previous reform s, in clu ding th e d e te rio ra tin g s itu a tio n on th e reg io n al lab o u r m a r­ ket. This notion h a d been alm o st a b sen t in th e p rev ailin g (media) discourse on th e m in in g in d u s tr y — re a so n s b e h in d th is s itu a tio n sh o u ld deserve a s e p a ra te discussion.

A co n fro n tatio n b etw een th e g overnm ent d ram a tic ally losing its social su p p o rt (am ong o th ers due to th e disclosed economic affairs w hich involved some p ro m in e n t D em o cratic L eft A llian ce p o litic ian s) a n d th e m in in g u n io n ists la s te d m an y w eeks yet u n til th e very la s t re a d in g of th e B ill in th e m e e tin g of th e Sejm on 13 N ovem ber 2003 d u rin g w h ich M in iste r J . H au sn er, on b e h a lf of th e G ov ern m en t of th e R epublic of P oland, object­ ed to th e in tro d u c tio n of am en d m en ts allow ing p a rtia l w inding-up of coal m ines a n d m erg ers of u n p ro fitab le m in es w ith those w hich a re pro fitab le. The response of th e un ion h e a d q u a rte rs w as th e a n n o u n c em e n t a day la te r of s trik in g em ergency an d 24-hour strik e on 17 Novem ber. The a n n o u n c e ­ m e n t of th e g en e ra l s trik e proved to be a n effective m ea su re of p r e s s u r is ­ ing th e S en ate, w hich accepted th e Act on 28 N ovem ber in th e sh ap e as favoured by m in in g force. The Act of r e s tru c tu rin g of th e coal m in in g in ­ d u s try d u rin g 2 00 3-20 0 6 (Official Jou rn al, No. 210, item 2037, 28 Nov. 2003) signed by th e P re sid e n t ju s t before 4 D ecem ber 2003, S t B a rb a ra Day, m in ers’ tra d itio n a l holiday, provided a com prehensive reg u latio n of th e ru les of financial re stru c tu rin g of m ining companies, em ploym ent, w inding up coal m ines, o rg an isa tio n al re s tru c tu rin g in th e coal m in ing industry, a n d it also specified p a rtic u la r pow ers of m in in g g m i n a s a n d in d ic a te d fin a n c ia l r e ­ sources of th e r e s tru c tu rin g program m e u n til 2006. From th e p o in t of view

of th e in te re s ts of m in e rs them selves, th e m ost im p o rta n t w ere th e p ro v i­ sions concerning th e re s tru c tu rin g of em ploym ent. The A ct of 28 N ovem ­ b e r 2003 in tro d u ced two k in d s of su p p o rt in s tru m e n ts for em polyees not e n title d to re tire m e n t pen sio n or w ork d isa b ility pension:

• social p ro tectio n services - a m in e rs ’ b en efit for u n d e rg ro u n d em ployees, who in te rm s of age, to ta l u n d e rg ro u n d em ploym ent record lack no m ore th a n 3 y e a rs to become eligible for re tire m e n t pensio n before 1 J a n u a r y 2007 (section 9);

• ac tiv atio n an d a d a p ta tio n in s tru m e n ts for ground w orkers, including: - g ra n ts for th e pu rp o se of g ain in g new sk ills a m o u n tin g to th e eq u iv ­

a le n t of 100% re m u n e ra tio n given for up to six m o n th s d u rin g w hich a n em ployee m a in ta in s a ll h is or h e r em p lo y m en t e n title m e n ts , is obliged to p a rtic ip a te in one free tr a in in g course, is allow ed to use vocational counsel an d job agency ru n by M ining L abour Agency (sec­ tio n 10);

- loans to th e end of s ta rtin g b u sin ess activ ity am o u n tin g to PL N 20.000 w hich m ay be wholly or p a rtia lly re m itte d on th e condition of ta k in g up such activity w ith in six m onths a fte r th e te rm in a tio n of em ploym ent rela tio n sh ip w ith a m in in g com pany (section 12);

- re tra in in g co n tracts g ran te d for th re e m on th s by em ployers outside th e m ining in d u stry to form er ground w orkers, who have not used any o th er su p p o rt form s (section 17).

The Act of 28 N ovem ber 2003 in trod u ced su b sta n tiv e in centives for n o n­ m in in g em ployers who w ould em ploy form er ground w o rk ers in th e form of em p loym ent refu n d in g (betw een 12 an d 18 m o n th s d ep e n d in g on th e n u m b er of y e a rs a n em ployee lacks to be e n title d to re tire m e n t as w ell as th e p ossibility of costs re m itta n c e (up to PLN 20.000) to th e e n d of c re a t­ ing a new job in resp e c t of giving em ploym ent to such a p e rso n or re fu n d ­ ing th e costs of providing one tra in in g course to an employee (under r e tr a in ­ ing con tract) (section 13, se c tio n l4 , section 16).