One of the oldest steel mills in the EU is shutting down

The company Rurexpol, as stated in the official release, stopped production and dismissed employees. But the company's management has not yet laid down its arms completely, seeing the last chance in the neighboring Czestochowa metallurgical plant. His "resurrection" was previously widely covered in the media, plus the government promised the company special protection.

On January 31, pipe production was suspended at the Rurexpol plant in Czestochowa. Currently, only the finishing shop is operated at the plant. It is planned to lay off 260 employees by the end of February. The decision on this issue was made last autumn. But employees still hope that production will be resumed.

The only chance is the revived steel mill in Czestochowa, which, after a one—year break, resumed work in early February. In a letter to the Prime Minister, trade unionists urge "to take urgent measures to preserve the specialized staff of Rurexpol." According to them, the plant is organizationally and technologically derived from the Czestochowa Metallurgical Plant, which is a candidate for inclusion in the list of strategic enterprises.

The owner of Rurexpol decided to close the business due to the "expected loss of competitiveness of the industry in the market" and due to the "deterioration of the situation in the European steel industry." But trade unionists believe that all problems can be solved. Until now, raw materials for the production of pipes have been supplied from afar, so the production of charge at neighboring steel mills could reduce costs and increase competitiveness.

The unions believe that the neighboring plant may need up to 400 additional workers. The fate of both enterprises will be decided on February 17. The value of the steel mill's assets is estimated at 227 million zlotys (about 54.5 million euros).