Strike Alert Declared at Grupa Azoty Amid Wage Demands

Trade unions representing workers at Poland's chemical giant Grupa Azoty have declared a strike alert, signaling potential industrial action across five key facilities in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Police, Puławy, Grzybów, and Tarnów. The unions, including Solidarność, have presented a list of demands to the company's management, centered on substantial wage increases and improved employee benefits.

At the forefront of the unions' demands is a proposed increase of 1,500 Polish zloty net per month for all employees, effective from September 1, 2026, with retroactive application from June 1, 2026. This alone could add over 20 million zloty net to monthly payroll costs, potentially exceeding 140 million zloty net by the end of 2026, excluding gross-up costs. The unions also seek a 30 zloty increase in seniority bonuses per year of service, a monthly shift allowance of 1,500 zloty net, the reintroduction of jubilee bonuses, reduced working hours, and a motivational bonus for the first quarter of 2024.

Grupa Azoty acknowledges the demands but emphasizes the need for thorough analysis of their financial implications. The company is currently in a critical phase of financial restructuring and negotiating a long-term restructuring agreement. "Decisions that impact the future must be made today not with the heart, but guided by hard financial analyses and realistic forecasts," stated Grzegorz Kulik, spokesperson for Azoty. He added that while the company aims for more standardized HR solutions, including pay scales, any changes must consider the group's financial capacity and long-term stability.

The company is evaluating the formal and legal aspects of the demands, as well as their potential organizational and financial consequences. The unions' request to reinstate suspended provisions of the company's collective labor agreement from September 1, 2026, also presents a significant cost factor. In 2025, consolidated wage costs, including overheads, amounted to 1.9 billion zloty, representing 13.7% of the company's total costs. The group employed 13,524 people at the end of December.