Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

in Firm PL-9. However, more material on labour relations in other firms from my sample
would be needed in order to thoroughly assess that hypothesis.
Some findings from chapter 4.3. on Polish case studies deserve a closer look and
discussion.
The Polish example demonstrates the dominance of structural factors upon both the
personnel policy of firms, the translation process of institutional mechanisms, the policy of
employee representatives at firm level, and the attitudes of older workers towards early exit.
Several structural factors are important in that context. On the one hand, the transformation
from plan to market has not yet come to an end in Poland and as long as firms will be
forced to make personnel adjustments, chances are low for an integration of older workers
at firm level and a prolongation of working life. It became apparent that even in the absence
of institutional incentives (e.g. after the lowering of the pre-retirement benefit), older
workers are released and themselves often accede to the release. Thus, one can speak of a
“´constrained choice´ nature of early retirement options for employees” (Naschold et al.
1994b: 153) or “choice of a lesser evil” (in the opinion of my interviewees). The structural
upheavals on the labour market are reinforced by the weaker institutional protection of
older workers from dismissal – in the Polish ´aggressive capitalism´, there are less norms on
the non-dismissal of older workers. Against this background, I regard the planned
shortening of the ´protected period´ of older workers from four to two years (MPiPS 2008:
19-20) as a wrong move, all the more as employers have adapted to the longer protection
period (Ipsos 2007: 39).
Another structural factor is the expansion of the private sector and the related decrease
of the importance of the institution of employee representation at firm level (Bednarski
2003: 149, Jarosz 1997: 65). Therefore, shop-level trade unions do not play a significant
role as defenders of employment security of older workers.
My analysis has revealed also other structural factors which explain the difference in the
personnel policy towards older workers. Firms in regions with worse infrastructure have a
more deficient personnel policy and do not pursue long-term strategies in scarcely any field
of the personnel policy, but rather apply ad hoc measures when the need ensues (e.g.
singular qualification measures on demand). I see that as related to another explanatory
structural variable – foreign investment, as firms with foreign capital have a more holistic
and long-term approach to personnel policy (Pocztowski 2002: 22; Purgał 2002). The
impact can be understood as ´country-of-origin effect´ which is fostered by the dominance
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