Polish coal still a way of life
With few alternatives, mining continues to support the nation
KNURW: “My father, my grandfather were miners, so I am,” says Arkadiusz Wojcik at a coal mine in the Polish town of Knurow.
Defying danger, Poland’s coal miners still pass down the job from father to son.
The occupation may be on its way out in the West, but in Poland’s Silesian coal country it is thriving thanks to high wages and support from the government.
“Here in Silesia, it’s a tradition,” says Wojcik, 36, after working a night shift 650m underground.
The Knurow mine is operational day and night, with the schedule divided into four shifts.
But one thing is constant: the risk. “Of course we get scared. Accidents happen. It’s part of the job,” Radoslaw Ruminski says, after exiting a mine lift.
“But we don’t think about it every day when we go underground,” the 37-year-old says.
So far this year, 21 miners have died on the job in Poland.
Last year, there were 15 deaths, while in 2014 – a particularly grim year – 30 miners lost their lives. But money offset the danger. “It is higher than in other sectors,” says miner Kamil Ganko.
Coal miners can earn up to €1,600 (RM7,577) per month, double the average Polish wage of €813 (RM3,850).
Miners are also entitled to various perks, like two extra months of salary each year: one in December on the feast day of Saint Barbara, who is the patron saint of miners, and another in February.
Each miner also gets to take home eight tonnes of coal every year – a considerable bonus in a region where many households depend on the fossil fuel for heat.
A final benefit is the right to an early retirement after 25 years of toiling away underground.
But for some, even that is too late. “My husband died just eight months before he was supposed to retire,” says Agata Kowalczyk, who runs the Association of Widows and Orphans of Miners.
Despite her husband’s death, their sons have not turned their backs on the work.
“Two of my four sons continue to work at the mine. The eldest is a foreman and likes the night shift,” when the pay is higher, she says.
“There are no other jobs. For now there’s no alternative,” she adds.
Knurow is one of four mines belonging to the state-owned JSW company, EU’s largest producer of high-quality coking coal – a resource destined for the steel industry.
JSW has around 27,000 employees, making it one of the biggest employers in Poland.
The company has its eye on two more ore deposits to increase production of coal, most of which is exported to European markets.
JSW is also sponsoring the UN’s
The EU wants Poland to close its mines. But what then? In Poland we have no wind or sun. Kazimierz Grajcarek
COP 24 global climate summit, opening this weekend in the Polish coal city of Katowice.
Though many mines have closed, “the sector could use at least 15,000 more workers,” says Kazimierz Grajcarek, once responsible for miners at the Solidarity trade union.
“It’s undergoing a revival,” he says, saying the sector attracts workers from Ukraine as well as from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and even Spain.
“The EU wants Poland to close its mines. But what then? In Poland we have no wind or sun,” he says.
“Where will they work? Each miner generates four jobs in the service sector.”
Tomorrow marks Saint Barbara’s Day, but the festivities begin two weeks ahead. The miners celebrate with great fanfare, donning costumes, feathered caps and medals.
Deputy Energy Minister Grzegorz Tobiszowski even wore the outfit at a mining event earlier this month.
No party in Poland can ignore miners, who as a group carry considerable political clout.
“Mining is more than a job,” says Dariusz Radon, a 48-year-old miner.
“The community is close-knit that each miner is prepared to die for his colleague.”