The idea of extending the holiday leave to 35 days for all employees
The idea of 35 days of holiday leave for all employees
The National Agreement of Trade Unions (OPZZ) postulates that holiday leave should be equal and significantly extended. Thanks to this, working Poles could have even a month and a half off.
According to the applicable provisions of the Labour Code, the length of holiday leave depends on seniority. And so, people with less than 10 years seniority (this includes also periods of study, e.g: (studies) have 20 days of leave, more experienced employees, employed for at least 10 years, are entitled to 26 days of leave.
OPZZ proposes that all employees, regardless of their length of service, should be entitled to 35 days of fully paid annual leave. In this way, Poland would chase away, among others. France, where employees, although working less (the weekly working time is 35 hours), are entitled to 30 days leave. In Hungary, employees over 45 years of age are also entitled to 30 days of holiday leave.
The OPZZ also reports the need for an additional 15-minute break for workers who work more than 8 hours.
The idea of introducing facilities for older workers
For people over 50. of one year of age, only after their express consent could their employer contract overtime or night work. This is another facility for older workers. It also points to the need for the introduction of the so-called „soft landing” mentoring agreement, dedicated to seniors, which would be a reward for transferring experience, mentoring younger employees. This proposal would guarantee people after they turn 50. of a year old, additional salary. According to OPZZ, a senior worker should earn more, if only because he shares his knowledge and skills with less experienced team members.
The OPZZ has already presented its proposals to the Social Dialogue Council.
Leave 35 days. Without the employers’; consent?
It can be assumed that the relevant regulations in this area will appear at the earliest in June 2020.
As of today, employers have referred to the trade unionists’; proposals to extend the leave. Their experts point out that 35 days of holiday leave is in practice depriving the company of the presence of an employee for 1.5 months a year. This not only complicates production processes and business management, but also generates additional labour costs that entrepreneurs have been burdened with for years. In addition to high increases in the minimum wage, these include additional contributions (PPK). The experts are also of the opinion that many employers will not be able to cope with this new burden and even fewer of them will be interested in signing employment contracts with employees based on the Labour Code. Because the contracts of mandate and contracts for work give them the possibility to freely determine the amount of holidays, and even not to offer paid holidays to their principals.
Summarizing the above, it should be pointed out that the final fate of the new standards governing holiday leave will have to wait until the relevant bills are submitted to the parliament
