Poland
Key Facts
| Population | 38,167,000 |
|---|---|
| Collective Bargaining Coverage | 30% |
| Proportion of Employees in Unions | 15% |
| Principal Level of Collective Bargaining |
company |
| Workplace Representation |
union (or works council) |
| Board-level Representation |
yes: (formerly) state-owned companies |
| Company Board Structure |
dualistic |
Trade Union
Trade union density is relatively low at around 15% and membership is divided between a large number of organisations. There are two large confederations, NSZZ Solidarność and OPZZ, and one somewhat smaller one, FZZ. However, a significant number of union members are in small local unions not affiliated to any of the main confederations.
more ...Collective Bargaining
Only a minority of employees in Poland are covered by collective bargaining, which takes place largely at company or organisation level. This means that where there are no unions to take up the issue, pay and conditions are set unilaterally by employers – subject to the national minimum wage.
more ...Workplace Representation
Unions currently provide representation for employees at the workplace and where there are no unions there is no representation. New legislation implementing the EU directive on information and consultation provides for the creation of the works councils. But where unions are present works council members are chosen by them. Only if there are no unions, or the unions do not agree on nominations, is there an election.
more ...Board-level Representation
Polish legislation provides for employee representatives at supervisory board level in state-owned and partially privatised enterprises, as well as even greater powers in some state-owned enterprises. However, there is no right to employee representatives on the boards of private companies.
more ...European-level Representation
In most cases the union or unions choose the Polish representatives for the bodies linked to European Works Councils or European Companies. The exception is board members, who are to be elected by all employees.
more ...Health and Safety
Social enterprise inspectors and employee representatives play a vital role in employee health and safety. Their role has a statutory basis. However, these inspectors only act in relation to public and/or State-owned enterprises.
more ...Financial Participation
Employee financial participation in Poland emerged mainly during the privatization process at the beginning of the 1990’s. The privatization programme was characterised by significant incentives for employee participation, especially in firms privatized by leasing (leveraged lease-buy-out, LLBO) and transformed into so-called “employee-companies”. Ownership structures in these companies have been relatively stable, with a wide range of employees retaining a considerable portion of company shares. Employee ownership also emerged from other privatization methods, though to a lesser extent. Furthermore, workers’ cooperatives, as another form of employee participation, have a long tradition in Poland. However, financial participation barely extends beyond these companies and the significance of cooperatives in the Polish economy has become less important. Profit-sharing schemes, though foreseen by the Polish legal framework, are not often used within companies. Instead, gain-sharing schemes, as additional payments related to the fulfilment of some predetermined targets, are more often used.1
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