Trade unionists protested against the liquidation of the PKP Cargo section in Szczecinek

Railway workers associated with NSZZ Solidarność and the Trade Union of Machinists protested on Thursday in Szczecinek against the liquidation of the local transport and operational section of PKP Cargo, employee layoffs and the sale of railway real estate.

According to a company statement, decisions regarding Szczecinek have not yet been made.

The picket at Szczecinek's PKP Cargo on Waryńskiego Street was organized by unionists who do not agree to the restructuring of the railway company by liquidating several of its plants and laying off employees. As Mieczysław Cykman, deputy chairman of the Trade Section of NSZZ Solidarność of the PKP Cargo Group, told PAP, 98 people are employed in Szczecinek.

"About a hundred people may lose their jobs. There is no restructuring plan for PKP Cargo, we have been waiting since November 2024. (...) We are afraid that Szczecinek will be liquidated, and this is a strategic hub, including in terms of military transport," Cykman emphasized in an interview with PAP.

He reported that in May, at a meeting with the PKP Cargo board, representatives of trade unions were told that the company's restructuring plan would be submitted to the court commissioner between June 17 and 20. PKP Cargo is in the process of restructuring because the state-owned company has found itself in financial collapse. The plant in Szczecinek is one of those that may be liquidated.

"Formally, there is no decision on this matter yet, but PKP Cargo has presented a plan to sell real estate, which includes Szczecinek," Cykman noted.

He explained that the Szczecinek plant consists of repair halls, a locomotive shed with a turntable, railway sidings and an administration building. He emphasized that in defense of jobs and PKP assets, unionists have already addressed the Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak and Deputy Minister Piotr Malepszak. Radosław Lubczyk, a Szczecinek MP from Trzeci Droga, came to the protesters' picket on Thursday.

“The MP has undertaken to forward our petition to Minister Klimczak and the Sejm Infrastructure Committee,” said Cykman.

NSZZ "Solidarność" PKP CARGO warns that the sale of company assets may lead to a further deterioration of PKP CARGO's financial situation. Unionists fear that there will be a "loss of key resources necessary for the effective functioning of the enterprise". PKP Cargo employees appeal to the company's authorities for "broad consultations with the social side".

About 100 people participated in the picket in Szczecinek, including trade unionists – railway workers from Łódź and the chairman of the Trade Section of NSZZ Solidarność of the PKP Cargo Group, Jan Majder.

In a statement published on June 4 on the PKP Cargo website, we read that "at present, no decision has been made to sell" the facility in Szczecinek and an analysis is still underway "with a view to maintaining operational activity at this location". "The decision to maintain or discontinue the Company's operations in Szczecinek depends, among other things, on the results of the conducted analysis of the profitability of the location".

It is not known when the case will be resolved and a final decision on liquidation or maintenance of the Szczecinek plant can be expected. Deputy Director of the Management Board, Promotion and Investor Relations Office of PKP CARGO SA in restructuring, Julita Sołtysiak, in response to PAP, noted that "at the moment all information about the Szczecinek Plant is included in the announcement."

It states that "due to the ongoing restructuring process in the Company, all possibilities of optimizing operational processes and the efficiency of operating costs are being considered, including by terminating the operations of PKP CARGO SA in restructuring in locations where the operations are not profitable."

In the list of PKP Cargo properties, located on the website, Szczecinek is also among 19 locations. The area of ​​the property is 33,679 square meters, and its status is defined as "preparation for sale". The document contains a detailed description of individual plots and maps.

PKP Cargo's announcement stated that these are "objects for which the possibility of sale is being considered. External and internal conditions are currently being analyzed."

In an interview with PAP, Cykman noted that the state-owned railway company specializing in freight transport, in addition to Szczecinek, also wants to liquidate plants in Świnoujście, Tczew, Iława, Braniewo, Jasło, Nowy Sącz. The unionist pointed out that PKP also plans to sell wagons. "At the last meeting with the board, in May, we heard that a total of 20,000 wagons and locomotives are to be sold," Cykman summed up.

In July 2024, a court in Warsaw opened restructuring proceedings for PKP Cargo. The company's management announced group layoffs that were to cover up to 30 percent of employees, or a maximum of 4,142 people. In October, it was announced that the layoffs had been completed, covering 3,665 employees.

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