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Rights of trade unions
Under the Act on Trade Unions, the rights of a trade union depend on the level of its membership.
The required levels of membership are:
- at least 10 members for a workplace trade union,
- a total of at least 10 members across all the employers spanned by an inter-workplace trade union (it is sufficient for a given employer to have one employee as a member of an inter-workplace trade union for that union to enjoy trade union rights).
In 2024, Polish courts received a significant number of labour law cases. Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show that over 100,000 cases were brought to labour courts in 2024.
Parliament is currently analysing the Report on Activities of the State Labour Inspectorate for 2024. The document contains the latest data on detected and adjudicated misdemeanours and crimes against employee rights. The report also presents trends in the prosecution of perpetrators of acts violating labour rights, in particular information on the effectiveness of inspectors' work and the condition of criminal proceedings in Poland.
A PIP inspection need not cause great concern - the key is proper preparation. Clear internal organisation, knowledge of the applicable legislation and awareness of the labour inspector’s rights will effectively streamline the inspection process.
In 2025, PIP plans to carry out 55,000 inspections at workplaces. The Chief Labour Inspector has stated that these will concern, in particular, the employment of foreign citizens, remote work, equal pay and the protection of whistleblowers.
In order to minimise the risk of the inspection revealing irregularities, it is worthwhile analysing in advance the company's internal procedures and document templates used.
The holiday season can cause considerable organisational challenges for employers. On the one hand, they should provide employees with time to rest, while on the other, they must ensure there is no interruption of operations, such as key business processes and customer service.
On 20 January 2025, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy published a draft act amending the Labour Code on the website of the Governmental Legislation Centre. The amendments are intended to clarify the definition of mobbing, which has existed in the Polish legal system for over 20 years, and to impose new obligations on employers.