Discrimination complaints to Polish labor watchdog nearly triple in three years

Complaints of workplace discrimination in Poland are climbing fast, and experts say it reflects growing employee confidence to speak up rather than worsening conditions, business daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reported Monday.

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The National Labor Inspectorate (PIP) logged 775 discrimination complaints in the first half of 2026 alone — up more than 40% from 546 a year earlier and more than double the 378 filed in the same period of 2024. Extrapolated over the full year, the total could approach or top 2,000 cases, nearly three times the 659 complaints recorded three years ago, the newspaper said.

Gender-based pay discrimination was the most common grievance raised this year, according to inspectorate data cited by the paper.

The surge in reports doesn't necessarily signal deteriorating workplace conditions, the newspaper noted, citing unnamed experts: "This does not [...] indicate a deterioration of the situation in companies, but rather a greater willingness among employees to respond".

So far this year, PIP has confirmed grounds for 72 of the complaints, while 119 remain under investigation.

(jh)

Source: PAP