The scrapped reform of the State Labour Inspectorate (PIP) would have allowed officials to question the validity of certain civil-law contracts, including B2B and freelance arrangements, and convert them into standard employment contracts without the consent of employers, employees, or a court.
Referring to his decision to abandon the plan, Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media on Thursday that allowing officials to unilaterally reclassify contracts would be “a bad idea.” He added that the government’s task is to free businesses and citizens from excessive regulations and bureaucracy and promised that alternative ways of protecting workers will be found.
Poland’s Minister of Labour, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, said she will continue discussions with coalition partners to tackle the widespread use of precarious “junk contracts,” particularly affecting vulnerable groups such as pregnant women.
“The goal remains the same: to ensure real protection for employees and prevent systemic abuse of civil-law contracts,” she said, underlining the ministry’s commitment to balancing worker protections with the practical realities of the labour market.
Despite the government’s rejection of the PIP reform, the Left has signalled it will continue to push for changes. Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Speaker of the Sejm (the lower house of Polish Parliament), announced that he intends to meet with Tusk later this week to discuss the labour inspectorate reforms further.
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Source: IAR/X/@donaldtusk/Polish Radio English Service