BARRIERS AND DETERMINANTS OF RESTRUCTURING EMPLOYMENT IN THE MINING INDUSTRY UNDER THE JUST TRANSFORMATION MECHANISM. INTERVIEWS RESULTS.

Purpose: The purpose of using the method is to obtain information on the social perception of the employment restructuring process in the mining industry, taking into account the phase of design, implementation, monitoring and impact assessment for the industry and local communities. Design/methodology/approach: The theses presented in the article have been verified using: literature review, critical literature analysis, document research and comparative analysis. The article presents a research method enabling social assessment of barriers and determinants of the employment restructuring process in the mining industry under the just transition mechanism. The method of researching the social perception of the hard coal mining employment restructuring process, due to the specificity and complexity of the issue under consideration, uses various, mutually complementary methods and techniques of social research: quantitative and qualitative. Findings: As a result of the interviews carried out, it seems that all the expert assessments and opinions expressed confirm thesis that if the changes related to the just transition process cannot be stopped, then one must learn to take advantage of it. The view expressed above regarding the process of just transformation, which implies both economic and social challenges that are important for mining communes, among which the following deserve special attention as increasing the importance of the participation of mining communes in making government decisions, more friendly conditions shaping cooperation, need for mining communes to implement projects based on local mobility, adaptability and social sensitivity, need to increase social awareness related to mining in mining communes with responsibility for the just transition process, disappearance of state policies in the implementation of social functions in the phase of ongoing changes and taking them over by the local society. Originality/value: The article enriches knowledge and develops a discussion in the area of social perception of the employment restructuring process in the mining industry. Based on the assessments and opinions of experts, it seems that in the perspective of the predictable occurrence of the transformation process, it could be important for local governments, and in particular mining communes, to promote actions for an evolutionary, not short-term shift from coal-based energy to low-emission sources - striving to make it a multi-stage and long-term process. Equally important may be the pursuit of solutions according to which the principle of introducing funds directly to individual communes for the implementation of the just transformation process will be adopted. Must be considerated need for local governments, including mining communes, to obtain state intervention appropriate to the scale of the [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]