What does the SAFE programme mean to you? Is it simply a low-interest loan to purchase weapons?
The SAFE programme is epoch-making for Poland for several reasons; these are by no means exaggerated words.
First, it is a very attractive financial injection of cash for Poland. It is true that it is a loan at 3.3% per year, and the interest rate is, of course, variable. But let me remind you that a loan of a similar scale (€44 billion) taken out for South Korean armaments by Mariusz Błaszczak, defence minister in the PiS government, carries an interest rate of… 5.5%.
But with SAFE, it is not only the low interest rate that matters. What is crucial is allocating this money to the development of the Polish arms industry. SAFE will benefit 12,000 Polish companies. Huta Stalowa Wola will receive the largest share of the funds. But many Lower Silesian companies will also benefit. By the end of May, 29 contracts worth PLN 120 billion had been signed.
A very large contract concerns the Jelcz plant in Laskowice. We are talking about PLN 5.5 billion, for which 2,000 vehicles of two types—heavy and light—will be produced.
SAFE funds will go to 787 companies in Lower Silesia. This translates into at least several thousand jobs. But such investments need to be viewed more broadly—the fulfilment of orders involves an entire chain of subcontractors and orders related to construction and infrastructure services.
What benefits will this bring in the future?
By using SAFE funds, we will become arms producers to a greater extent than today. This includes drones, which currently play a key role. Ammunition, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and transport vehicles will be produced—for our own needs and for export.
A very important benefit of SAFE is the funding for research and development, which will go to Polish engineers and universities. It will also go to universities in Lower Silesia. This has been sorely lacking until now.
Taken together, all this should give the Polish defence sector and the entire economy a proverbial “kick”.
How would you respond to critics of the SAFE programme who claim that it is an unnecessary and costly alternative to purchasing weapons from the USA? Such voices are heard among others from circles associated with PiS and Confederation.
I know that the policy of Law and Justice so far has been that we did not produce equipment ourselves but bought everything abroad. That was the case in South Korea, and of course in the United States. We know that the American arms lobby is powerful and can be very effective.
But presenting the SAFE programme as undermining strategic cooperation with the USA is both dishonest and nonsensical. Of the PLN 50 billion allocated to defence in Poland this year, approximately PLN 20 billion—nearly half—is earmarked for purchases of American equipment. So we have a situation in which, as the saying goes, both the wolf is fed and the sheep remains whole.
Let us move on to more regional matters, although concerning a company with a global reach. You are involved in talks with the Management Board of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.—what issues are discussed during these meetings?
Yes, I have met with the president of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., during which I raised several important issues. As readers probably know, for a long time and consistently I have been working to improve miners’ safety, especially that of underground miners. We also discussed another important issue: the possibility of buying back the property of residents living near the Żelazny Most Reservoir, including Tarnówka, as well as five other localities.
Residents are concerned about living near Żelazny Most both in terms of health risks and a possible disaster, and they want to move elsewhere. KGHM Polska Miedź already offers some funds for buying these properties, but they appear to be insufficient—and this was precisely what I discussed with President Remigiusz Paszkiewicz, who promised me that the Management Board would address the matter soon. They will try to develop a special housing buyout programme. I am awaiting information on this issue.
What possibilities do you see for improving the safety of KGHM miners’ work?
I actively worked to reduce the so-called “copper tax”, a special tax on the extraction of certain minerals. Thanks to the significant reduction of this levy, which was achieved recently, some of the funds saved should, in my opinion, be allocated precisely to improving workplace safety. The number-one goal is to improve ventilation in mine shafts. The construction of new shafts also shortens the distance to the working face and thus improves working conditions in terms of temperature. Of course, building shafts takes time, but it is also a key issue.
For some time now, you have also been dealing with the situation at Zakłady Ceramiczne „Bolesławiec”, where there is an ongoing conflict between the Management Board and the workforce. What is the current situation at this important Lower Silesian plant?
Unfortunately, I do not have particularly positive news here. Despite many meetings—with representatives of the Management Board, trade unions and rank-and-file employees alike—I have the impression that relations between the Management Board and the plant’s workforce are not improving at all.
Equally worryingly, I can also see that the company’s financial situation does not look good, which is why at the end of May I submitted an interpellation to the Ministry of State Assets, asking it to examine the relationship between the employees and the Management Board.
The Ministry of State Assets supervises this company, which is owned by the State Treasury. I hope that the interpellation will produce tangible results.
As a person of the left, the way employees are treated is hugely important to me. Of course, the company’s profit is very important, but work must be carried out with respect for workers’ dignity and for the relationship between employer and employee—that is, between the workforce and the Management Board.
This is in fact the moment when any departures from the applicable law must be corrected immediately.
I therefore hope that my interpellation will motivate the Ministry to take a close look at what is happening in the company.
You initiated the establishment of the Parliamentary Team for the Socio-Energy Transformation of the Turów Subregion. What is this Team currently working on?
An important aspect of the work of the Parliamentary Team for the Socio-Energy Transformation of the Turów Subregion is cooperation with local governments. We spoke with local government officials from Lubań and, above all, Zgorzelec. After the meeting, I asked them to send the Team investment proposals—that is, a list of places where we could potentially seek investments that would create new, well-paid jobs.
We are slowly looking for those investors. I am optimistic, especially in the context of funding from the SAFE programme, which we have already discussed.