More employees on the surface than underground have taken advantage of one-time severance payments at Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa (JSW). According to data released by the company in response to a shareholder query, out of 526 workers who opted for the payments in the first round, 327 were surface staff and 199 worked underground.
The voluntary severance program, part of the broader restructuring of Poland’s hard coal mining sector, saw its first round on May 28, 2026. Among the 199 underground employees who signed up, 183 were blue-collar workers and 16 were engineering and technical staff. On the surface, 105 blue-collar workers and 222 engineering, technical and administrative personnel decided to leave the company in exchange for a one-time payment.
JSW plans to offer the scheme to a total of 1,156 employees, meaning that 630 slots remain to be filled in subsequent rounds. The company’s financial situation underscores the reasons for the restructuring. In the first quarter of 2026, JSW reported a net loss of PLN 615.9 million and negative adjusted EBITDA of PLN 192.4 million.
Despite the losses, production volumes increased year-on-year. In Q1 2026, JSW produced over 3.2 million tonnes of coal, up 13.1% compared to the same period in 2025. Coke output reached nearly 0.8 million tonnes, a 7.1% increase.
Cost savings offer some relief
However, compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, coal production fell 7.3% and coke production dropped 11.3%. The company highlighted some positive cost trends: the mining cash cost declined by 8.9% to PLN 631 per tonne, while the cash conversion cost (CCC) decreased by 28.5%.
These savings are crucial as JSW navigates a difficult pricing environment for coal and coke. The company’s stock on the Warsaw Stock Exchange was trading at PLN 25.12 on July 10, up 0.44% from the previous close.
Surface workers more willing to exit
– The program of one-time severance payments is an element of the transformation process of the hard coal mining sector – stated JSW in its response. The fact that nearly two-thirds of participants are surface workers suggests that administrative and technical staff may have more options for re-employment than underground miners. It could also reflect different age structures and union protection levels.
JSW did not disclose the exact amounts paid under the program, but similar schemes in the Polish mining industry have offered payments ranging from several tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand zlotys per employee, depending on years of service.
The remaining slots are expected to be filled by the end of 2026, bringing the total departures to over a thousand workers as part of the sector’s ongoing transformation.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa / Dawid Lach
