MRPiPS Rejects Truck Drivers’ Early Retirement Bid

The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has dismissed a petition from a professional drivers’ representative to lower the retirement age to 60, citing medical criteria and constitutional rulings.

Petition Submitted to the President

A representative of one of the largest professional groups submitted a petition to President Karol Nawrocki requesting the restoration of the option to retire at age 60. Due to the specifics of the issue, the matter was handled by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, which analyzed the provisions of the Bridging Pensions Act and two Constitutional Tribunal rulings. What was the response?

15 Years Behind the Wheel Is Still Not Enough

A professional driver asked President Karol Nawrocki to restore the right to retire at age 60. The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy issued a refusal, citing medical criteria, the structure of the bridging pensions act, and two Constitutional Tribunal rulings. The response makes it clear: driving a truck over 3.5 tonnes is not considered—in the assessment of the legislature and the Tribunal—work in special conditions or of a special character.

Petition for Equal Pension Rights

To be precise, the petition dated February 1, 2026, was received by the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland on February 5, 2026 (RPW/11511/2026). Its author asked President Karol Nawrocki to restore the option to retire at age 60 for professional truck drivers of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes after completing the appropriate number of years, including 15 years in that position. The petition’s author recalls that such a right was previously granted to all drivers meeting these conditions, but legislation introduced a time restriction covering only drivers who met the requirements by December 31, 1998. The justification for the petition pointed to a number of circumstances intended to show that a driver’s work remains work in special conditions.

Labour Ministry Response and Legal Basis

The petition addressed to the President of the Republic of Poland was forwarded to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy for consideration. The response—dated July 6, 2026 (reference DUS-II.055.19.2026.MDe)—was provided by Sebastian Kamiński, Deputy Director of the Social Insurance Department, acting pursuant to Article 13 of the Act of July 11, 2014, on Petitions (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 870).

Criteria Based on Age and Psychophysical Capacity

The ministry recalled the fundamental premise of the Act of December 19, 2009, on Bridging Pensions (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 1696): bridging pensions are granted exclusively to individuals performing types of work that strictly correspond to the definitions in the act and are listed in its annexes. The genesis of these lists is crucial; medicine and occupational safety experts determined the selection based on medical criteria and public safety requirements under Article 3, paragraphs 1 and 3 of the act.

This response segment is legally vital and hardest for drivers to accept. The ministry explains that the premise for classifying specific work as special conditions or special character is the decreasing ability to work with age, linked to declining psychophysical capacity. This concerns work determined by the forces of nature or technological processes, setting special requirements that older people might not meet, where technical, organizational, and medical preventive measures cannot currently effectively reduce the threat to life or health.

Exclusion of General Hardship

In other words, the mere fact that work is heavy, stressful, performed in difficult weather conditions, and at irregular rhythms does not establish the right to a bridging pension. The legislature drew this catalog narrowly and exhaustively.

Exceptions for Specific Driver Categories

The letter clearly indicated that some drivers were included in the list as performing special character work, specifically those listed in points 8–10 of Annex 2 to the Bridging Pensions Act. Other work performed by drivers cannot entitle them to a bridging pension because it meets neither the criteria for special conditions nor special character work under Article 3, paragraphs 1 and 3 of the act.

This means that a truck driver of a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes carrying standard cargo remains outside the system, whereas the same driver transporting ADR materials in a tanker marked with an orange plate does not.

Constitutional Tribunal Rulings and Conclusion

The ministry emphasized that the adopted solutions regarding drivers’ bridging pension rights comply with the Polish Constitution, citing two Constitutional Tribunal rulings. The latter ruling directly relates to the petition’s main thread—revoking rights from those who did not meet the deadline before December 31, 1998. The Tribunal ruled there was no violation of acquired rights because individuals who failed to meet conditions under previous regulations held at most an expectation lacking fully formed character.

Concluding, the ministry stated there are no justified grounds to implement the postulate submitted in the petition.

Lack of Appeal Mechanism and Broader Context

The petition’s author has no means of appeal against the ministry’s position—neither through administrative nor administrative court channels. The right of petition under Article 63 of the Constitution guarantees the right to file and receive a substantive response within 3 months, but does not guarantee the postulate’s implementation.

A broader context not directly addressed by the ministry is that since January 1, 2024, amending the bridging pension act abolished the expiring nature of these benefits by removing the condition of performing special work before January 1, 1999. However, this change did not cover the job lists in Annexes 1 and 2, leaving truck drivers over 3.5 tonnes outside the system regardless of their start date. Fulfilling the petition’s request would require a legislative initiative and prior positive evaluation by occupational medicine experts.