The JSW KOKS Management Board decided to accelerate the process of shutting down the coke oven battery that had originally been planned to take place on 4 September 2018. The process of transferring employees commenced last year. They were given the choice of transferring to the Radlin, Jadwiga or Przyjaźń Coking Plants. Alternatively, they could also submit their preference for staying on in their current place of work where tasks involving the sorting of coke and tidying up the site will be carried out. In addition, every employee had the option to go to work in one of JSW’s mines. Taking a job in a mine is possible only through JSW Szkolenie i Górnictwo (SIG). Employees are hired by SIG for a maximum of 1 year according to the rules in force in that company, and later they are gradually transferred to a JSW mine. At that time, the rules of how they are paid are modified.

The transfer from the Dębieńsko Coking Plant to a mine takes place on a voluntary basis. Consequently, employees do not receive a notice of termination. The first talks regarding employment with JSW Szkolenie i Górnictwo were held last week.

The historical background of the Dębieńsko Coking Plant dates back to 1908 when the owner at that time of the local coal mine decided to build a coke production facility next to it. This plant consisting of two coke oven batteries commenced operations in 1913. Recently, the coking plant had approximately 180 employees with a production capacity of 300 thousand tons of coke per annum.

Dębieńsko was one of the four coking plants owned by JSW KOKS belonging to the JSW Group, with the Przyjaźń Coking Plant in Dąbrowa Górnicza being the largest one. JSW KOKS also has two other plants: Jadwiga and Radlin.