Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
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THE POLITICS OF LABOUR MARKET ADJUST-<br />
MENT IN POST-1989 POLAND<br />
17<br />
The tax on wage increase (popiwek), was initially targeting<br />
the total wage bill of enterprises, which came at the expense of<br />
employment. It was revised in 1991 to target average individual<br />
wages.<br />
24<br />
Changes in labour law in 2002 ‘were meant to reduce bureaucracy<br />
in labour relations, reduce the costs associated with hiring of<br />
workers, and to increase the flexibility of working time.’ (MEL<br />
2004: 20)<br />
18<br />
Such a measure aimed to foster youth employment, at a time<br />
when unemployment was exceeding 40% for people in the 15-24<br />
age range.<br />
19<br />
To be compared with 34% in Spain (lowest in the EU) and<br />
37% in the UK, where the minimum wage is a relatively recent<br />
introduction. In Poland, the 1997-1998 pension reform<br />
established an anti-poverty social safety net by introducing a<br />
minimum pension fixed at a level of 35% of the average wage.<br />
20<br />
This sub-section draws on McMenamin (2005) who specifically<br />
studied business lobbying in relation to the reform of<br />
the labour code in this period. Given the difficulty to reconstruct<br />
a policy process ex post as time passes, since it implies tracing<br />
the individuals who were involved and relying on their possibly<br />
distorted memories, his work based on a series of interviews<br />
carried out closer to the events provides extremely valuable<br />
information.<br />
25<br />
Prime Minister Marek Belka presented a document on the<br />
government projected economic strategy, Marek Kossowski,<br />
undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Economy presented<br />
the ‘Entreprise above all’ programme and Minister of Economy<br />
Jerzy Hausner presented the ‘First job’ programme (Communiqué<br />
of the Tripartite Commission 28.01.02)<br />
26<br />
On this occasion, it seems that the representative of NSZZ<br />
Solidarność, J. Sniadek, who was sitting at the Tripartite Commission<br />
on behalf of his organization took a stance that was<br />
invalidated by the rest of the union leadership. His position was<br />
rejected by the Presidium.<br />
27<br />
Between several thousands and several tens of thousands<br />
people demonstrated on 26 April 2002, depending on sources<br />
(Gardawski 2002b).<br />
21<br />
The Confederation of Private Employers (Polska Konfederacja<br />
Pracodawcow Prywatnych – PKPP Leviatan), which later<br />
became the leading employers organization, was founded only<br />
in 1999.<br />
28<br />
This could only be done until the date of accession since it<br />
breaches European rules defining minimum employment<br />
standards, including a restriction on the number of consecutive<br />
fixed-term contracts.<br />
22<br />
SMEs are an important segment of the Polish economy: they<br />
constituted 95% of all enterprises and employed 50% of the<br />
working population in 2002<br />
29<br />
Later, however, Hausner expressed his difficulty to work<br />
with the new Prime Minister Marek Belka, who, an economist<br />
himself, kept challenging the decisions and views of the super-<br />
Ministry of Economy.<br />
page 150<br />
23<br />
The economic programme of the new government<br />
consisted of three packages: ‘Enterprise above all’<br />
(Przede wszystkim przedsiebiorczosc), ‘First Job’<br />
(Pierwsza Praca) and ‘Infrastructure – the key to<br />
development’ (Infrastruktura- klucz do rozwoju).<br />
The latter is not directly of interest. ‘First Job’ is a<br />
programme to support jobs for young labour market<br />
entrants.<br />
30 Regulation of the Council of Ministers on the creation of the<br />
Commission for the Codification of Labour Law, 20 August<br />
2002 (Dz U 2002/139 item 1167).