Amendments to the Labor Code gain wide support on vote in lower chamber

Late on Friday night the Sejm voted to approve the amendments liberalizing t he Labor Code, with both the ruling coalition and Civic Platform deputies ac cepting the changes. The reforms will limit bureaucratic burdens imposed upo n companies and lower business costs. Amendments include allowing employers to sign an unlimited number of consecutive short-term contracts, lower overt ime pay on normal working days, and make the first day of a short sick leave unpaid. The changes will free small companies from tedious administrative re quirements, such as having the obligation to have written rules of conduct. However, Labor Minister Jerzy Hausner said that the first positive effects o f the amendments will probably be felt in mid-2003. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) T.J.