Poland: talks on minimum wage increase have begun

Fake negotiations.  As provided for in the Act of October 10, 2002 on minimum wage, the social partners have gathered several times within the tripartite Committee (unions, employers, government) to negotiate the amount of minimum wage for 2012.  during the Committee’s meeting on June 16th, the Union Forum (FZZ) revived an old union claim, namely that minimum wage increases in order to reach 50% of average pay (i.e. PLN1,733 – about €435) within two or three years.  Yet, the government wants minimum wage to amount to PLN 1,500 gross a month (i.e. about €377), i.e. 41.4% of current average pay and 8% more than current minimum wage.  Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Marel Bucior said, when presenting the government’s offer, that the latter would not go beyond because this offer was already higher than the statutory increase limit.  According to Zbigniew Kruszynski, Solidarnosc representative who was presiding the meeting, the government “presented unions with an ultimatum, not an offer, which unions may or may not accept.”  Regardless of unions’ stance, they are convinced that the government will in fine determine the final amount.  “We’re in the presence of a trick, not social dialogue, where we listen to the government’s press releases while unions’ proposals remain unheard” Kruszynski concluded, with the support of other unions.  The three unions present (FZZ, OPZZ and NSZZ Solidarnosc) firmly maintain that negotiations should take place with the aim of reaching 50% of the average salary.  Employers believe minimum wage shouldn’t increase by more than 5%, i.e. PLN 1,450 (about €364) so as to not damage businesses’ competitiveness.  Deputy Minister Bucior concluded the meeting by adding that the social partners may keep on debating at the plenary session of the tripartite Committee on June 27th, with Minister of Labor Jolanta Fedak and Minister of Economic Affairs Waldemar Pawlak.