Coal miners hold "warning strike" at Poland's biggest mining company

Coal miners working for Polish Mining Group (PGG), Poland's biggest mining company, held a two-hour warning strike on Monday demanding a 12-percent pay rise and assurances that Polish coal will be used in the country's power stations, local media reported.

"Currently the collieries are working normally. We haven't had signs of any exceptional events," PGG spokesman Tomasz Glogowski was quoted as saying by the Polish Press Agency.

Earlier, the company's management board expressed the hope that the strike action would be conducted in a responsible manner. The firm intends to continue talks on a pay rise after summing up its financial results for the first half year.

Unionists said that following Monday's warning strike, union delegations would visit the offices of ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party MPs in selected regions, including the office of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Later on Monday, Polish Deputy Minister of State Assets Adam Gaweda said that the next round of talks between PGG management and the company's unionists would take place on Thursday in the southern Polish city of Katowice. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin will also participate in the meeting.