Budryk Strike Comes to an End

An agreement was reached ending the strike in the Budryk mine. It had lasted 46 days.

Workers will receive a pay raise of 490 zloties (135 euro) a month gross plus a one-time payment of 2200 zloties (600 euro) to compensate for low wages last year. This is less than the strikers were demanding.

The main demand of the strike was to end wage discrimination by raising the level of wages in Budryk to that of other mines controlled by the JSW holding company. Budryk (which is owned by the State Treasury) was merged into the JSW holding group (also owned by the State Treasury) at the beginning of the year. The average level of wages in Budryk is the lowest among mines in the JSW group despite the fact that Budryk is one of the most profitable mines in Poland and workers achieve twice the national average output.

A commission will be formed in order to examine how to raise wages in Budryk to the level of other JSW mines which the management of JSW promises to do by 2010.

JSW also agreed not to prosecute or take other action against the strikers provided a court rules that the strike was legal. JSW has claimed it was not and has filed complaints with the public prosecutor's office on at least two occasions. The last time was on Jan.30 when striking workers refused to let non-striking workers into the mine.

The situation had grown extremely hard for the strikers who were tired after 46 days of the occupation strike. They had come under increased attack from not only the management of JSW but the government, media and the leaders of unions which were not striking in Budryk.