Strike threat at PKP Intercity. They failed to reach an agreement on price increases.

The PKP Intercity management board has refused to implement a proposed salary increase for its employees, the Railway Engineers' Union announced. This has initiated a collective bargaining process, which could result in a strike. Meanwhile, in a statement sent to polsatnews.pl, the company emphasized that it presented its proposed salary increase to the unions, but it was rejected.

The Polish Railway Engineers' Union announced that PKP Intercity management has refused to grant employees a pay raise of the expected PLN 1,000 . Including fixed contributions, this would amount to an average of PLN 1,670 for employees paid under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

On Tuesday, ZZMK announced the end of its dialogue with PKP Intercity regarding wage increases. This effectively meant the initiation of a collective bargaining process . As union leader Leszek Miętek noted, if the collective bargaining fails, it could end in a strike .

PKP Intercity's management, however, wants another round of meetings regarding pay increases for train drivers. As indicated, employees received an 800 PLN attendance bonus for their availability in July and the same amount in August. This was a reward for their intensive work during the summer holidays and for contributing to the company's record results.

SEE: PKP Intercity sets a new record. Over 40 million passengers

As Maciej Dutkiewicz , spokesman for PKP Intercity, told polsatnews.pl, the company has offered employees a raise of PLN 700. After taking into account fixed salary components, this would translate into an average nominal raise of PLN 1,170 .

Dutkiewicz assured that during the talks, the management board was also open to increasing the proposed amount to PLN 800. This would mean a nominal increase of an average PLN 1,330 .

"The talks conducted as part of the social dialogue initiated by the trade unions ended on August 7, 2025. The parties did not reach an agreement on wage increases in 2025. The PKP Intercity management board proposed another round of meetings in the near future," Dutkiewicz said.

PKP Intercity is the country's largest long-distance rail operator . It provides connections primarily between cities in Poland. It also operates international connections .

SEE: Six-year-old boy alone on train tracks. He was playing when the barriers came down.

The first half of 2025 saw the highest passenger volume in the company's more than 20-year history. From the beginning of January to the end of June, over 40 million passengers traveled on its trains. In 2024, 78.5 million passengers used PKP Intercity rail services. This was 15 percent more than the previous year and 33 percent more than in 2022.