“And does Jelcz know that he is falling?” – asked one of the Internet users, commenting on Mariusz Błaszczak's post. The PiS politician declared that the company “today is on the verge of collapse.” But it's not the only one – the message about the alleged bankruptcy of Jelcz, which “will be sold to the Germans”, is spreading on the Internet. The company's authorities and trade unions deny it.
“If two crystal balls were given to the coalition's nominees on December 13 in state-owned companies, they would lose one and break the other. Jelcz – a plant that received a lot of orders during the PiS government, today stands on the verge of collapse” – this information was posted on 9 December on website X, former Minister of National Defense, currently MP from Law and Justice, Mariusz Błaszczak. He continued: “It's a disaster. In recent months, production in Jelcz has dropped from several dozen to a dozen or so vehicles.” This post generated over 45,000 views. views.
Misleading post by Mariusz Błaszczak from December 9, 2024x.com
Błaszczak shared in his post entry from the Niezalezna.PL account promoting article on this website titled “The fall of Jelcz? Production stopped, no new factory. Germany is taking over the market.” The text mentions the problems of the Jelcz company, including: about the “throttling of production” or the lack of the announced new factory. The author stated that its German competition benefits from Jelcz's problems. An anonymous trade unionist from the plant quoted in the text said that this year, bonuses were paid to employees only after the unions intervened. “Production has dropped dramatically, I don't know how on earth we will fulfill the contracts for 2024. We are threatened with contractual penalties. If we don't meet the deadline now, it's scary to think what will happen to orders for next year and subsequent years,” Jelcz employees were quoted as saying. According to them, Huta Stalowa Wola, which supervises the Jelcz company, is “pressing for profit, which will probably not be there now.”
A few days later, on December 13, another post about the problems of the Jelcz company appeared on the X website. “And the Polish cycle Jelcz is starting to go bankrupt due to the current cuts and actions of the government. It will probably be sold to the Germans once everything is finished. But what is the point of fixing things after PiS” – it sounded on an anonymous profile (original spelling of all posts). The author attached an approximately 50-second recording.
Post about Jelcz's alleged situation published on December 13, 2024x.com
The frames show vehicles manufactured by Jelcz, with a male voice-over in the background: “Jelcz is in serious trouble. Will the German concern benefit from this? Production at the legendary Polish Jelcz plant has dramatically decreased from several dozen to just a dozen or so vehicles per month, and by 2024 the result will be as much as two hundred trucks less than planned. What's going on? Employees are alarming. No bonuses, delays and suspension of the construction of the new factory. Meanwhile, German competitors are winning contracts that could be implemented by Jelcz. Will the Polish Army still choose the proven Jelcz P662D or will it choose foreign chassis? The contract for the supply of tankers is in the balance. Polish companies or foreign concerns? The post with this recording has been viewed over 55,000 times. times.
Internet users: “stabbing the back of Polish defense” vs. “does Jelcz know that he is falling?”
Information about the presented situation of Jelcz aroused various comments. Some Internet users do not hide their indignation: “This is like stabbing the Polish defense in the back. I would like to remind you that all Korean HOMAR-K are built on the Jelcz chassis. Who could care about this and who would be so perfidious?”; “they are deliberately extinguishing the Polish economy…”; “Undoubtedly the Tusk effect” – they comment.
Others do not believe in the message being spread. “Does Jelcz know that he is falling?”; “Man, Jelcz is increasing production very much from next year!!! stop reading this Russian propaganda!!”; “It's a load of nonsense”; “Only what you write are lies. Why?”; “Disinformation. Fake news”; “Just now (2 days ago) I read an article that they were increasing employment and they are doing very well,” they note.
Early December: Jelcz boasts of plans to increase production
The Jelcz company was established in 2000 as a result of capital transformation of Zakłady Samochodowe Jelcz SA, a manufacturer of Jelcz buses, trucks and fire trucks, well-known in Poland. Is one of the companies Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA. Jelcz produces armored and unarmored cars, and is also one of the main suppliers of chassis for the Polish Armed Forces.
It is worth noting that on December 7 – two days before the publication of Niezależna.pl – on the website Defence24 an article was published entitled “Jelcz production is accelerating. Strong support for artillery.” The author, Antoni Walikowski, described the current level of production of trucks for the army – the Jelcz company presented this information at the International Artillery Conference in Toruń (December 2-4). They do not indicate that the company based in Jelcz-Laskowice is struggling with production problems or has abandoned plans to build a new factory. “Thanks to ongoing investments and expansion, the factory can today boast of systematic growth. Not long ago, about 350 cars left the hall every year. The current production capacity of the plant in Jelcz-Laskowice, which employs less than a thousand people, is about 500 vehicles of all types. Employment in Jelcz found many specialists from the recently closed Volvo bus factory near Wrocław,” we read in the text.
The article published one of the slides from the manufacturer's presentation. The company reports that Jelcz currently employs 925 people. It plans to double production capacity within four years by investing in a new factory. It was announced that Jelcz is to produce 500 vehicles in 2024, and in 2025 – 700. In 2026 and 2027, this number is to increase to 800, and from 2028, production capacity is to increase to over a thousand vehicles per year.
Denial of the company's management board and three trade unions
As information about Jelcz's alleged situation was disseminated on social media, on December 12, the company's management issued a statement statement regarding publications about it. The statement also appeared in media social media Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA.
“The information about the alleged collapse of the JELCZ Company or late payments to employees is untrue and is not confirmed by both the current operations and the development plans of the plant correlated with the needs of the Armed Forces,” we read. The Management Board assures that “the financial situation of Jelcz Sp. z o. o. has never been as good as it is now, which is confirmed by the investments in modern machinery and staff development.” According to the management board, “in 2024, bonuses were regularly paid to employees” and “talks with representatives of trade unions about the payment of benefits for the fourth quarter are currently being finalized.”
The statement denied the “statement regarding the dividend policy of the Company's Shareholder”. It was ensured that “the amount of dividend collected by the Shareholder since taking up the Company's shares did not exceed on average 30% of the profits generated.” The declaration was signed by: president Waldemar Markiewicz and member of the management board Jerzy Kociałowski.
The Konkret24 editorial team asked the Jelcz company to refer to the information that in recent months the production in Jelcz has decreased from several dozen to a dozen or so vehicles and about the company's alleged problems with the execution of contracts for 2024 and possible contractual penalties. “The company is implementing long-term contracts and is negotiating new ones. The company is implementing investment plans in accordance with the adopted schedule, which will result in an increase in production capacity to 2,000 units per year. The current production capacity of the plant is approximately 500 vehicles of various types – and this number of vehicles will be produced in 2024. Cooperation with Huta Stalowa Wola SA Autosan Branch in Sanok will increase the above possibilities – already in 2025 by at least 250 vehicles. According to the production plan, over 700 vehicles will leave JELCZ next year,” this was the answer provided to us by Anna Pilarska from the company's management office on December 18.
Moreover, it was published on the Jelcz website joint statement chairmen of three trade unions operating in the company: NSZZ “Solidarność”, ZZ Engineers and Technicians and ZZ Sektor Obronnego. We read in it, among others: about “false information regarding the company's operations” that appear, and the declaration: “The published content does not reflect reality. The company operates in accordance with applicable laws, internal regulations and the principles of corporate social responsibility. All decisions regarding employment, remuneration and conditions work are undertaken in dialogue with the social side, taking into account the welfare of employees and the stability of the company.
Therefore, the thesis conveyed by MP Błaszczak that Jelcz “is today on the verge of collapse” is not confirmed.
Main photo source: PAP/Marcin Onufryjuk