flash news
Legislative work is underway on an amendment to the Act amending the Accounting Act, the Act on Statutory Auditors, Audit Firms and Public Supervision and Certain Other Acts.
One of the objectives of the amendment is to implement the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will result in a new obligation for employers to report on corporate sustainability. Depending on the number of employees, employers will be required to provide information on environmental, social and human rights issues and corporate governance. Analysis of the social issues will be important from an employment law perspective.
On 13 May 2024, assumptions on the draft law on amendments to the Labour Code (project number UD59) appeared on the list of legislative and program work of the Council of Ministers. The proposed changes particularly include the following counted as part of the employment period:
- periods of work on the basis of an agency contract, contract of mandate or other contract for the provision of services to which, in accordance with the Civil Code, provisions relating to mandate apply,
A new bill on amending the Act on Foreigners and certain other acts has appeared on the website of the Government Legislation Centre. The scope of the envisaged changes has been narrowed, focusing on regulations concerning treaty obligations resulting from Poland's membership in the European Union as well as those resulting from the case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU.
Other changes, which were included in the previous version of the draft amendment (e.g. concerning the digitization of proceedings on legalisation of residence in Poland), are to be regulated separately.
This Friday, 17 May 2024, the deadline will pass for adapting workstations equipped with electronic visual displays to new occupational health and safety requirements.
As a reminder, if an employee uses portable equipment (in particular a laptop), for at least half of daily working hours, the employee’s workstation must be furnished with a desktop monitor or a suitable stand and an additional keyboard and mouse.
We discuss the other key changes here
Text of the regulation: >>>
The Council of Ministers adopted a draft amendment to the Law on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens in Connection with the Armed Conflict in that Country.
The bill was introduced into the Sejm (Polish Parliament’s lower chamber) on 30 April. The most important amendments include:
- extension of Ukrainian citizens’ legal right to stay in the Republic of Poland till 30 September 2025,
- improvements in the system of support, specifically regarding accommodation and food for refugees from Ukraine,
- linking the 800+ benefit to compulsory education,
On 25 April 2024, following a complaint from the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Poland has failed to fulfil its obligation to implement the EU’s Whistleblower Protection Directive.
EU Member States were given time to 17 December 2021 to adopt the necessary national regulations. According to the CJEU, “the wide scope of the regulations under the mentioned directive does not justify the lengthening time being spent on legislative work”. The CJEU also did not accept the difficulties that Poland raised in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic or the reception of war refugees from Ukraine.