Nearly one hundred officials from the Zabrze city office have finished working there. As the city mayor Agnieszka Rupniewska said, not all of them were dismissed – “some of them retired, and some resigned from work themselves”. This is the result of the savings plan that the Zabrze authorities are planning to implement in connection with the growing debt.
On Tuesday, a press conference was held to present information about the city's debt. In mid-May 2024, it reached over 883.5 million zlotys. The new local government authorities are looking for savings, and reducing the number of posts in the city hall is one of the actions related to belt-tightening.
– We have reduced the number of employees by almost a hundred officials. At the moment, those who work with us are of course burdened with duties, because we had to pass them on to those who stayed with us. Some of the officials were people who left us with a notice period, some left for pensionsand some of them resigned from their jobs – said Agnieszka Rupniewska.
Excessive debt in the city hall
Overemployment at the Zabrze City Hall is one of the accusations that the new authorities have directed against Małgorzata Mańka-Szulik, who headed the city in the years 2006-2024. Secretary of Zabrze Łukasz Urbańczyk calculated that during her rule, 197 officials were hired (2006 – 530 people, 2024 – 727 people), although the number of the city's inhabitants decreased by 36 thousand.
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– Zabrze employed more civil servants per capita than, among others, Katowice, Gliwice, Ruda Śląska (…). The city budget already lacked funds to cover 74 civil servant positions at the beginning of 2024, and at the same time Ms. Mańka-Szulik gave civil servants pre-election pay rises and bonuses without securing financial resources in the budget – said Urbańczyk.
Zabrze's debt
He emphasized that during the previous president's term, the city's debt increased by 1,263 percent – from PLN 64.7 million to PLN 883.5 million. Currently, the debt per capita amounts to PLN 5,743.50.
Urbańczyk warned that PLN 220 million is needed to balance the budget in 2024. Rupniewska, on the other hand, informed that talks are underway with the Ministry of Finance regarding a possible loan for the local government.
– We are trying to achieve a situation in which the city budget will be stable. We are talking, among others, with the Minister of Finance about the possibility of granting a loan to our city (…). The tool offered by the Minister of Finance would be the most appropriate for us and would give us the opportunity to catch our breath – assessed Rupniewska.
Agnieszka Rupniewska, mayor of ZabrzeAgnieszka Rupniewska – Mayor of Zabrze/Facebook
Privatization of Górnik Zabrze
The privatization of Górnik Zabrze is also expected to bring savings to the Zabrze local government. The president announced during a press conference that, in formal terms, officials are to be ready for this process before the end of September.
– We will warmly encourage all entities that, on the one hand, love football, on the other hand have an idea on how to develop not only Górnik Zabrze, but also the Górnik Zabrze academy, and on the third hand have the money to approach this topic very seriously – said Rupniewska.
She added that the conditions that will be imposed on potential investors include maintaining the club's name and colours, as well as its headquarters in the city.
Response to allegations
Mańka-Szulik responded to the accusations against her. She emphasized that local government needs professionals, and firing them will not lead to the city's development. – The people who are being fired today have high qualifications – she added.
– You need to have a vision of the city's development, and not just spit on your predecessors. (…) I wouldn't change anything. What were we supposed to give up? The Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa? Repairing the tracks? (…) Were we not supposed to develop the economic zone? Budget management is about acquiring funds and spending them. (…) Zabrze had to do a huge amount of work to get back on its feet – said Mańka-Szulik.
She recalled that in the past Zabrze had been struggling with serious problems related to the closure of mines, including high unemployment. Therefore, investments were necessary.
According to Mańka-Szulik, the new city authorities should get down to hard work. “I don't understand the attitude of the new leaders. They were on the city council, they participated in the life of this city. These are not surprises, they didn't take a pig in a poke,” said the former mayor.
Main image source: Agnieszka Rupniewska – Mayor of Zabrze/Facebook