The protest by Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa (JSW) workers has intensified with riot police intervening on Monday afternoon.
Hundreds of protesters who had gathered in front of the JSW headquarters burnt tires and lit firecrackers earlier on Monday.
Dozens of police officers dressed in riot gear shot water cannons at the demonstrators at around 3 p.m., TVP news station reported.
It is unclear if police targeted JSW employees, or hooligans who also descended on the area to cause trouble.
Unions asked JSW strikers to wear hard hats and reflective vests to differentiate themselves from the hooligans.
The miners’ unions are demanding the resignation of Jarosław Zagórowski, the Managing Director at JSW.
JSW’s Zagórowski said earlier that of the company’s 26,296 employees, 9,420 took part in the protests.
He added that the number of people taking sick leave and paid holidays amount to around 38 percent, while the usual figure is around 20 percent. (rg)
Source: TVP
Photo: PAP/Andrzej Grygiel
Ewa Malcher
