KATOWICE, Poland, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Miners at Poland’s biggest coal producer, state-run PGG, staged a two-hour strike early on Monday, warning they will not renounce demands for a 12% pay rise and a clear national energy plan guaranteeing a future role for coal.
The protest comes as PGG grapples with falling demand for coal and EU pressure to fight climate change.
“We hope that this week we can meet with the government representatives, because the issue of a salary rise is still unsolved. We also want to know what Poland’s future energy mix will look like,” said Boguslaw Hutek, the head of coal trade union Solidarity.
He added that if there is no agreement with PGG management and the government, PGG miners will protest in Warsaw on Feb. 28. PGG Chief Executive Tomasz Rogala appealed for patience from union leaders.
“Our offer is: let’s be cautious, as we see what is going on around coal mining. Let’s wait until the end of the first half of the year. In July we will analyse and calculate everything,” he said in a statement.
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