Next, the delegations, including the management board of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa, mine management, invited guests, as well as an orchestra and standard bearers marched to the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Pawłowice. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of mining institutions, local authorities, uniformed services, clergy and trade unions. During the Barbórka Assembly, mining ranks were awarded, medals and decorations were presented, and honorary mining swords were handed out. There were also wishes and expressions of gratitude.
“It's a special day of the year – a day when we all turn our attention to people who every day do one of the most difficult jobs. A day when we can say out loud: thank you. Your work is exceptional. It is a service that cannot be compared to anything else. When you go underground, you face conditions that no one who has not walked those kilometers of workings, and has not felt that weight and responsibility, can understand. Your daily efforts, courage and determination command deep respect. Thanks to you, what for many is merely a profession becomes a mission and a tradition passed down from generation to generation,” said Bogusław Oleksy, acting president of the JSW management board.
Bogusław Oleksy recapped the past year. He pointed out that despite stable production, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa faces serious challenges.
“These are difficult times, times of intense restructuring and necessary business changes. We have to make decisions that I know are not easy. But they are necessary for the company to function and develop in the new economic reality,” said Bogusław Oleksy, adding: "I am convinced that together we will get through this difficult time, and thanks to our shared determination, dialogue, and courage, we will be able to implement the necessary changes, protect as many jobs as possible, and emerge from this situation stronger. As has happened many times throughout history, miners were able to join forces and overcome the greatest obstacles. And I believe that will be the case now as well.
At all JSW mines, approx. 12.5 million tons of coal have been mined since the beginning of the year and more than 65 kilometers of workings have been excavated.
