Polish Liberty Częstochowa prepares to resume production

The plant's steel division and rolling mill have been idle since the end of October 2023

Polish steelmaker Huta Liberty Częstochowa, a subsidiary of global steelmaker Liberty Steel, is preparing to resume production after a long downtime. This is stated in the company’s press release.

«The plant has completed the period of interruptions in operation and has begun the process of resuming production. More and more employees are returning to their jobs. The plant’s administration has been operating normally for a week now. Since last week, employees of the sheet rolling mill have been working, and next week, after Wodociągi Częstochskie resumes supplies, they will be joined by employees of the steel plant. All services of the steel plant are trying to achieve technical readiness for the earliest possible resumption of production,» the statement said.

In an interview with RMF FM, Liberty Częstochowa trade unions said that the reasons for the plant’s shutdown at the end of 2023 included financial problems, including debts to water suppliers, high energy prices and CO₂ emission fees, and poor scrap availability.

During the downtime, employees continued to receive their salaries. Some workers continued to maintain equipment and ship previously manufactured products.

«Now, in March, after a long break, workers are returning to work to prepare the steel plant for the resumption of operations, but it is not clear when this will happen. Certain conditions have to be met to resume production after a break of about five months,» comments Mariusz Czupinski, head of the Kadra trade union.

According to Huta Liberty Częstochowa spokesman Jacek Noszczyk, production at the plant will resume when orders are received, contracts with contractors are signed, and the necessary inspections and tests of equipment are completed.

Earlier, IndustriAll Europe and IndustriAll Global, which represent workers in the mining, energy and manufacturing industries in Europe and around the world, called for an end to the «irresponsible management» of British Liberty Steel and its parent company GFG Alliance. More than 20,000 steelworkers in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and Hungary are either at home without work or waiting for further action.