The state will allocate almost €12 million to supporting employment in the Upper Nitra area. Most of the money, which will come from the EU, is to be spent on retraining miners for the period after the planned closure of brown-coal mines over the next few years, said Labour Minister Milan Krajniak (We Are Family) at a press briefing in Prievidza (Trencin region) on Tuesday.
According to Krajniak, the idea is to ensure that miners are able take up different jobs immediately after the mines are shut down.
"Upper Nitra Mines is one of the biggest employers in the region, and 267 employees have left its gates since 1 March alone. There are still around 2,300 employees, which means that there are quite a large number of families that we need to take care of," said Jozef Fabian, director of the Labour, Social Affairs and Family Office in Prievidza, adding that the labour office has already paid more than €1 million in support of the mines.
According to the Minister of Labour, one option is that the miners could find work in the engineering industry. The ministry is also interested in supporting those who want to start a business. Currently, 16 employees are involved in the retraining project, 9 of whom have already attended the evaluation of competence, professional knowledge and skills. By the end of 2023, about 700 employees should be involved in the retraining project, which started in September.
The unemployment rate in Prievidza district is currently at 7.45 percent.
