The privatization of Poland's steel industry could lead to 40,000 job losses by 2001. The government has drawn up a plan promising the European Union that privatization will enable the industry to operate profitably. The steel industry in Poland has already lost 40,000 jobs, while producing the same output. Central to the privatization plan are two mills that account for more than 60 percent of total steel production.

Huta Katowice and the HTS plant, both in Krakow, are to be sold off to a foreign investor or a consortium. Two rival investors are in talks to acquire the steel mills, the German-British consortium Thyssen Krupp/Ispat International, and the Austrian-Dutch combination Voest Alpine/Hoogovens.

Back to Workers Struggles Around the World