Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa is rewriting its departure timetable mine by mine after concluding that the employees heading for mining leave are the most seasoned people on site — and that those staying behind often cannot match their experience. The group had assumed the remaining crew would cover the gap.
The exit package at the coking coal producer gives miners a choice between a one-off severance payment of 170,000 zlotys and mining leave, during which an employee keeps 80 percent of their salary while being released from the obligation to work. Together with processing-plant leave, the protective programme is built for 4,248 JSW employees.
Some of the company’s earlier assumptions turned out to be too optimistic, its CEO admitted in an interview with the newspaper „Rzeczpospolita”. He also pointed to the timing of the roll-out.
– Originally the process was supposed to begin much earlier, but because of regulatory constraints we were only able to launch it in May. We lost several months in which the savings could already have been affecting our costs – said Bogusław Oleksy, president of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa.
A plan that has to be checked mine by mine
– The most experienced employees are the ones leaving on mining leave. We assumed we would be able to replace them, but in practice it is not so simple – he said.
– Some of the people who remain in the mines often do not yet have comparable experience. That is why, mine by mine, we are analysing the departure plan again. We have to determine precisely how many employees can leave without risk to safety and to the delivery of our extraction plans – he added.
Hardest mines in Europe
Oleksy stressed that in mining, experience and competences cannot be replaced from one day to the next.
– All the more so because JSW’s mines are among the hardest in Europe when it comes to extraction conditions. We are dealing with an accumulation of hazards – he said.
– In such conditions the right competences and experience of the crew are crucial – the JSW president told „Rzeczpospolita”.
Źródło: WNP.pl, Fot. Shutterstock/1968
