Poland
Background information on industrial relations in Poland
- 24 Apr 2012
Poland: Poland: Employment and Industrial Relations in the Hotels and RestaurantsHORECA sector in Poland may be described as one of the mid-size sectors of the national economy in terms of NACE classification with some 250,000 persons in employment. Impact of the economic slowdown on the sector has been rather mild and industrial action has been almost non-existent since 2008. Industrial relations are weakly institutionalized. The extent of collective bargaining is modest, yet there is one multi-employer agreement. No institutional social dialogue takes place.
- 05 Apr 2012
Poland: Poland: the representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the insurance sectorThe Polish insurance sector has been steadily growing in terms of economic performance since2000, yet the last two years have witnessed a period of restructuring and job cuts. Despite mandatory membership in the national economic chamber for the sector, no national-level employers’ organisation exists. Consequently, the chances of getting a multi-employer agreement are slim. Industrial relations are pluralistic, and the position of the trade unions is weak, yet collective bargaining coverage is relatively high.
- 27 Mar 2012
Poland: Poland: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the paper sectorThe Polish paper industry has been expanding over the past few years, as measured by employment growth, for example. However the trend has not been accompanied by strong social dialogue. Social dialogue in the paper sector is decentralised and operates exclusively at the company level. It is difficult to assess how many workers are covered by collective agreements, for reasons described in this report..
- 07 Mar 2012
Poland: Poland: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the sea fisheries sectorThe sea fisheries sector in Poland has seriously declined over the last 10 years, both terms of employment and its relevance to the Polish economy. The sector consists of the Baltic Sea fishery segment based on small, non-unionised companies, and a deep-sea fishery segment which is the main site of the activity of trade unions and employer organisations. The density of social partners’ organisations in the sector is very low. Consequently, collective agreements of any kind do not exist and tri-partite concertation has been inefficient in solving sectoral problems and regulating employment conditions in the sector.
- 27 Feb 2012
Poland: Government to raise retirement age for women and menPoland’s new government, formed in November 2011, plans several important reforms, including raising the retirement age from 65 for men and 60 for women to 67 for both. The reform is to be introduced gradually from 2013. Trade unions strongly oppose the government’s pension proposals, but employer organisations are likely to support them. All the social partners are angry, however, about the government’s plan to introduce such important reforms without consultation.
- 21 Feb 2012
Poland: Outcome of parliamentary elections 2011The new Polish parliament was elected in October 2011 and a government formed in mid-November. For the first time since 1989 the previous coalition has retained power. The reelected centre-right Civic Platform and Polish People’s Party is planning in-depth reforms of the Polish economy but is not interested in the significant participation of the social partners. However, social partners have unanimously demanded immediate social dialogue with the Prime Ministry.
- 09 Jan 2012
Poland: Protests mount over Polish ‘junk’ job contractsObjections are growing in Poland to the use of temporary and civil contracts. Poland has the highest proportion of these ‘junk contracts’ in the European Union. An open letter has been sent to the Prime Minister, whose Civic Platform party promoted these contracts in its election programme. National celebrities are set to join a campaign organised by the union Solidarity. However, many employers believe that such flexible contracts are justified in the economic crisis.