Polish metallurgists' trade unions announced their intentions to escalate protest actions in the fall due to the lack of real government support for the industry. Although the Ministry of Industry has set up a working group and on June 13 presented an "Action Plan for the sustainable development of the Steel industry," the trade unions consider the document to be empty and ineffective. This is reported by niezalezna.pl .
He added that the current government consultations, in particular the meetings scheduled for July, are not yielding results, and the situation in the industry is only getting worse.
According to the unions, previous government promises, in particular about almost a billion zlotys for ArcelorMittal or the companies of the Węglokoks group, remained without specific funding. At the same time, rising electricity prices, competition from China and India, and pressure from European climate policy pose additional risks to the steel industry.
The trade unions demand a single electricity rate of €60 per MWh for all EU energy–intensive industries, reform of the compensation system, protection of the domestic market from steel imports from countries without a green deal, and reform of the scrap trade.
If no decisions are made by September, the trade unions promise a large-scale nationwide demonstration in Warsaw. In May, about 10 thousand metallurgists already protested near the Sejm.
