flash news: #minimum wages
Work on a draft bill to transpose EU Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages into Polish law has been underway for over two years. The deadline for implementing this legislation passed on 15 November 2024.
As the Social Dialogue Council failed to reach an agreement by the statutory deadline, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy submitted a draft regulation on the minimum wage for 2027 to the Council of Ministers on 8 September 2026.
On 4 March, the Central Statistical Office published a communiqué on the distribution of pay in the national economy in September 2025. The data shows that the median gross monthly pay in September 2025 was PLN 7,145.33, while the average gross monthly pay was PLN 8,649.13 – a difference of approximately 17%.
The draft minimum wage bill provides for a four-year minimum wage adjustment mechanism based on specific criteria, such as the purchasing power of a minimum wage, the general level of wages, wage distribution, wage growth rates and long-term productivity levels. In the ruling of 11 November 2025 (C-19/23), the Court of Justice of the EU declared that that criteria is invalid. As a result, the government will probably have to re-examine the bill, and consult social partners.
The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy is delaying the implementation of regulations excluding benefits from the minimum wage.
On 12 June 2025, the Council of Ministers adopted a minimum wage proposal for 2026. As of 1 January, it is to be PLN 4,806 gross, an increase of PLN 140 (3%) from the current PLN 4,666 gross. The minimum hourly rate is to increase from PLN 30.20 to PLN 31.40.