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Factsheet for measure PL-2020-14/1148 – Updated – measures in Poland
Country | Poland , applies nationwide |
Time period | Open ended, started on 01 April 2020 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Category |
Employment protection and retention
– Income support for people in employment (e.g., short-time work) |
Author | Jan Czarzasty (Warsaw School of Economics) and Eurofound |
Measure added | 16 September 2020 (updated 14 September 2021) |
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemics the government proposed the legislative package of measures intended to counter-act the direct economic effects of the public health crisis. The package, commonly referred to as the Anti-crisis Shield, consist of three legislative acts which all came into force on 1 April.
Of the three acts, the Act amending the Act on Special Measures regrading Prevention, Counteraction and Combating COVID-19 Other Contagious Diseases and Crisis Situations Related and Some Other act of Law is the key piece of legislation regarding the unfolding economic crisis. The Act (abbreviated as the “Special Act”) is a follow-up to the initial ad-hoc regulation introduced in early March.
Clause 17 of the Special Act introduces new amounts of wage subsidies for people with disabilities. New amounts of wage subsidies are higher than those defined in the Act of 27th August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Disables Persons, and they are as follow:
However, the new amounts in relation to people diagnosed with mental illness, mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorders or epilepsy as well as people with blindness are as follows:
The new amounts of wage subsidies have been available since April 2020. The measure is financed by PFRON (the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People). For the implementation of this measure, the PFRON budget is to be increased by PLN 141 million (€31.59 million).
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
25 August 2021 |
The measure is still in place. |
No information to date (September 2020).
The number of entities on the open labour market which received wage subsidies in March 2019: 21,861.
The number of workers on the open labour market who received wage subsidies in March 2019: 135,535.
Source: PFRO
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Disabled workers
|
Applies to all businesses | Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
Public support service providers |
National funds
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Informed | Informed |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
Social partners not involved.
POPON (Polish Organisation of Employers of Persons with Disabilities) prepared their opinion about a project of the Special Act.
POPON (Polish Organisation of Employers of Persons with Disabilities) and OBPON (the National Base of Employers of People with Disabilities) assessed it as one of the most important solutions that will support (protect) employment of employees with disabilities, but they also presented some suggestions to change some details in the Special Act.
The national trade unions, NSZZ ‘Solidarność” and OPZZ, also gave a positive opinion about this measure.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Anti-crisis shield: Wage subsidies for employees with disabilities, measure PL-2020-14/1148 (measures in Poland), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/PL-2020-14_1148.html
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