Poland’s State Labour Inspectorate (PIP) reports that over 32,000 workers did not receive their wages on time last year, with a further 12,000 receiving partial payments.
Scale of Violations and Payment Orders
Data from PIP indicates that, in addition to delays, 5,000 employees were not paid for overtime work or received reduced compensation. Another 9,000 workers did not receive timely holiday pay, sick pay, or night shift allowances.
If an employer fails to settle arrears during or immediately after an inspection, the State Labour Inspectorate can issue a payment order subject to swift administrative enforcement. In 2025, 5,300 such orders were issued totaling 182.9 million złoty for 32,800 employees, according to Chief Labour Inspector Marcin Stanecki.
Where Abuses Occur Most Frequently
Inspection data reveals that nearly one in four cases of arrears occurred in the trade and repair sectors.
Almost half of the inspections involving wage violations concerned micro-enterprises employing up to 9 people.
A Wave of Complaints Regarding Contracts and Working Hours
In 2025, PIP received 51,400 complaints. Employees are also complaining about the lack of written contracts and the non-issuance of employment certificates. There is a growing trend of civil law contracts (“junk contracts”) being concluded under conditions of full-time employment.
Thanks to legislative amendments, PIP now has the authority to convert fictitious civil law and B2B contracts into employment contracts.
Another issue is working time. Complaints relate to the lack of accurate record-keeping of hours, the failure to report overtime, and violations of the right to 11 hours of uninterrupted rest per day.
“The number of complaints received by the labour inspectorate increases year by year, confirming that employees in our market need support in enforcing their labour rights,” emphasized the Chief Labour Inspector.
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