Tripartite Commission to tackle labor rules

"We have to come to a compromise for the good of this country." - Andrzej Malinowski, PKPP Employer organizations are wary that growing disharmony with unions may jeopardize the role of businesses and unions in modernizing the country's labor laws. The Tripartite Commission (KT), composed of the government, labor unions and employers, is scheduled to hammer out a program for reforming the labor code this week. The commission plans to discuss government proposals for liberalizing regulations on short-term contracts, health and safety training, overtime and severance pay, and reducing bureaucracy for small firms. Labor Minister Jerzy Hausner set April 15 as the deadline for the completion of draft amendments to the labor code and said that if the Tripartite Commission does not reach a compromise, the government would introduce its own reforms. "If the Tripartite Commission does not reach an agreement, the government will assume responsibility for the country's economic future," said Jerzy Bartnik, chairman of the Union of Polish Craftsmen (ZRP). "This is a test of the KT's credibility and the ability of its members to make compromises. If we don't get off to a good start and assist the government the standing of the KT will be diminished." Though the ZRP is confident that the government's proposals are a step in the right direction, the commission's greatest challenge will be to forge an agreement with Poland's notoriously tough unions. "The possibilities for reform are limited by the unions," Bartnik said. "I am confident that we can reach an agreement with the OPZZ national executive but I am worried about the position of Solidarity, which showed little flexibility at the last Tripartite Commission meeting." According to Janusz Śniadek, vice chairman of the Solidarity labor union, the proposed reforms will not help the growing number of people who are employed without contracts. "We accuse the government and employers of propagating a scandalous state of affairs that sees profits fall into private hands while the working population is left to pay the costs," Śniadek said. "The extreme form of this is the growth of employment outside the labor code, which exceeds 23% of employment in this country, compared to around 8% in the U.S." But employers argue that Poland's unemployment level, which could rise from 17.4% in December 2001 to 20% by the end of this year, calls for measures designed to cut labor costs and make employment conditions more flexible. "For the economy to grow, we need to create conditions that favor the growth in demand for new employees rather than fighting for temporary reprieves for redundant labor," said Andrzej Malinowski, chairman of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers (PKPP). "What will be the use of the numerous privileges sought by the unions when we face the closure of the companies in which they can be realized? We have to come to a compromise for the good of this country."