What did Left MP Arkadiusz Sikora do during his first year?

Ladies and Gentlemen…

A year has passed since, thanks to the votes you cast for me in the parliamentary elections, I had the honor of taking up my mandate as a Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. This year was a period of intensive work for me, as well as for the New Left, on behalf of our region, its local communities and the values that guide the Polish Left. As a member of the New Left Parliamentary Club and co-chairman of the Lower Silesian Council of the New Left, I would like to present to you in greater detail the most important actions undertaken.

Lower Silesia was recently affected by one of the greatest natural disasters in decades. As a Lower Silesian MP, I actively participated in the work of a special Sejm committee aimed at helping people affected by this tragedy. At my initiative, the counties of our voivodeship were given special protection under the “Flood Act.” I also organized direct aid for flood victims, providing them with, among other things, dehumidifiers urgently needed to remove the effects of flooding. They were distributed to the counties of Jelenia Góra, Jawor, Lwówek Śląski, Luban, Kamienna Góra, as well as to some towns in the Kłodzko Valley. Also at my initiative, the Flood Act included a provision granting social workers a one-time allowance of PLN 2,000.

One of the issues that is important to me is KGHM. I consistently fight to reduce the mining tax, which in my view is unfair and is imposed on our largest company, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. I submitted numerous inquiries to the Government on this matter. As deputy chairman of the Economy and Development Committee, I also organized a special committee meeting devoted to reducing this levy. The matter has now been referred to the ministries. I publicly intervened on the issue of a fair distribution of KGHM’s profits with its workforce. I am also working, and will continue to work in the future, to ensure the greatest possible safety at work for employees of Polska Miedź. I submitted a parliamentary interpellation on this matter. Once I receive a response, I will certainly inform you.

I am currently making intensive efforts to ensure that Zgorzelec County, where Worek Turoszowski is located, is covered by the Just Transition Fund or other EU funding. In my view, this is very important, because these funds could significantly help Zgorzelec County carry out a just energy and social transition. I intervened on this issue both with the Government and with Piotr Serafin, Poland’s candidate for Commissioner for the Budget.

I actively participate in implementing the New Left’s key demands. Many of them have already been implemented or will come into force in the coming months. This will be the case with the program to build apartments for affordable rent, for which, thanks to the efforts of Left MPs, PLN 4.5 billion was included in next year’s budget. Some of these funds will go to Lower Silesia, to our local governments. In the middle of next year, the widow’s pension will also come into force, guaranteeing financial assistance to retirees who have lost their spouses. This will support approximately 2 million seniors, whose pension benefits will increase.

Also this year, with the support of the New Left, the Government’s in vitro fertilization funding program was introduced, guaranteeing PLN 0.5 billion for the most modern and safest method of supporting couples’ fertility. It will continue on a larger scale next year.

My parliamentary activity covers the entire Lower Silesian Voivodeship. I currently have 16 parliamentary offices open, where my assistants can intervene in various matters. Over the past year, young people from Zgorzelec, Gryfów Śląski, Legnica and Mościsko visited the Sejm at my invitation. I maintain regular contact with local government officials from our region and intervene in local matters with the relevant ministries.

I have further years of work ahead of me on behalf of our region, which I will support through my actions. I will also inform you about all this from time to time. I would like to sincerely thank you for all the excellent and interesting meetings, advice, suggestions and ideas so far.

For those who would like to follow my activities on an ongoing basis, I recommend the website www.arkadiuszsikora.pl or my social media.

Your MP

Arkadiusz Sikora
KKP Lewica