1. Implementation of Flexiciurity Measures at Regional and Local Level Patrycja Wojciechowska-Wachuła, Bartosz Szurmiński Voivodship Labour Office in Olsztyn Prague, 19 th April, 2012

2. 2 Effective labour market policies-flexible and reliable contractual arrangements Four main policy components – flexiciurity policies:  Flexible and reliable contractual arrangements- modern labour laws, collective arrangements and work organization;  Comprehensive lifelong learning- strategies to ensure the continual adaptability and employability of workers, particularly the most vulnerable;  Effective active labour market policies- to help people cope with rapid change, reduce unemployment spells and ease transitions to new jobs;  Modern social security systems - to provide adequate income support, encourage employment and facilitate labour market mobility.

3. 3 Flexible and reliable contractual arrangements In the Polish legal system there are numerous provisions for flexible work contracts; there are over 10 different employment contracts. More flexible arrangements were added during the crisis (i.e. 24-month calculation of working time) as well as instruments related to internal flexicurity (i.e. reduced working time combined with training) and external mobility (i.e. outplacement).

4. 4 Flexible and reliable contractual arrangements Typical contractual arrangements  part- time job  agreement for performance of specific tasks (umowa o dzieło)  mandate agreement (umowa zlecenia)  telework  freelance workers (employed on the basis of civil contracts)  working time reduction schemes,  flexible working time arrangements with accumulation of hours,  hiring freeze  not-renewing fixed-term contracts.

5. 5 Flexible and reliable contractual arrangements- atypical contracts In European labour markets in recent years, there has been a growing emergence of so-called ‘more flexible forms of work’, which deviate from standard employment contracts- how is it in Poland?  Very short part-time contracts (less than 10 hours per week) - non- standard forms of employment have not become the subject of separate regulation in Poland. Similarly, no consistent monitoring or research is conducted in this area, and the government and the social partners do not debate issues relating to non-standard employment forms.  Short fixed-term contracts, of either less than six months, less than three months or less than one month- no data available due to lack of research in this area or of pertinent statistics. Some formal requirements, albeit without detailed provisions concerning ‘short fixed-term contracts of either less than six months, less than three months or less than one month’ are laid down in the legislative Act of 9 July 2003 regarding hiring of temporary workers.

6. 6 Flexible and reliable contractual arrangements- atipical contracts  Employment without formal written contracts(based on oral contracts) No data available due to lack of research in this area or of pertinent statistics. Under Polish employment law, an oral agreement is permitted only as a sort of preliminary employment contract by which the employer and the future employee obligate themselves to make a final contract. Such an oral agreement gives rise to an obligation to duly execute the employment contract proper, and it is intended to be a guarantee that the employer will not renege on its promise to hire the employee;  Zero hours” contracts/on-call work, where workers can be called upon at short notice to go into work. Polish law does not expressly regulate this type of employment. The closest analogy to be found in Polish labour law is work on standby and work supervising equipment. Under art 1515 § 1 of the Polish Labour Code, an employer may obligate an employee to remain on call (either at the employing establishment or at another location) to perform her/his tasks, as defined in her/his employment contract, outside normal working hours. It would follow from this statutory provision that remaining on call is an employee duty; at the same time, however, it is an additional task which must conform with the type of work agreed upon in the employment contract. Some affinity to “zero hours” contracts/on- call work may also be found in the hiring of temporary workers and in commission contracts and the like. In both these cases, however, the employer must find specific providers of labour and execute with them a written contract providing that they will remain at the employer’s call.

7. 7 Measures supporting women in reconciliation of their family and job requirements Implementation and dissemination of solutions aimed at reconciliation of professional life and family life, including, inter alia, through:  pilot realization of complex projects for return to work after break connected with giving birth to children and raising them, fostering reconciliation of professional life and family life;  creation of children care centres at work and development of alternative forms of care for children (including, among the others, care services performed at home);  dissemination and promotion of flexible and alternative methods of work organization and forms of employment and making employee’s working time more flexible (including e-work, not working full time, rotational work, division of work within one work place [job sharing]).

8. 8 Measures supporting women in reconciliation of their family and job requirements Measure 6.2 Support and promotion of entrepreneurship and selfemployment Support for people intending to initiate businesses by means of the following instruments: - individual and group) advisory as well as trainings facilitating obtaining knowledge and skills necessary to set up and run businesses, - granting financial resources for enterprise development up to PLN 40,000 ­ bridge support in the period of up to 6/to 12 months from the day of initiation of economic activity, covering bridge financial support paid monthly to the amount not exceeding the equivalence of minimum remuneration as of the day of subsidy payment. Target groups: Natural persons intending to set up businesses (excluding people who had a registered business in the period of 12 months before the day of acceding the project), including: - Women (in particular including women entering the labour market for the first time or returning to it after a break related to giving birth to or raising a child),

9. 9 Measures supporting women in reconciliation of their family and job requirements Sub- measure 8.1.3 Strengthening local partnership for adaptiveness - call for proposals projects implemented by social partners only Initiatives undertaken on local and regional level by employer associations and labour unions, aimed at increasing adaptation skills of employees and entrepreneurs, in particular in the field of: - work organization, - forms of performing work, - promotion of upgrading professional qualifications, - reconciliation of work life and family life. - promoting social responsibility of enterprises, especially in respect to local labour market, employees’ working conditions and natural environment. - disseminating concept of flexicurity on local and regional level.