Labour law imposes a number of obligations relating to the provision of information on employers. The legislators have recently expanded the list of those obligations by adding an obligation for employers who employ foreign nationals. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the other mandatory information that employers are required to provide to their employees.
Information for foreign nationals about the right to join trade unions
Pursuant to the new law on the conditions for permitting the employment of foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Poland, an employer who employs a foreigner must inform them in writing, in a language understandable to the foreigner in question, about their right to join trade unions, which they are entitled to under the Trade Unions Act.
Information about the terms and conditions of employment
The employer is obliged to provide the employee with information on the terms and conditions of employment in paper or electronic form no later than within seven days of the date the employee is allowed to commence work. The scope of this information depends on whether or not there are work rules in place at the employer’s organisation, and the details are regulated by Article 29 § 3 et seq. of the Labour Code.
Information about monitoring
Irrespective of the introduction of relevant provisions on monitoring in the collective labour agreement or in the work rules or in a notice, the employer has certain information obligations towards the employees. The employer is obliged to inform the employees about the introduction of monitoring measures, in a standard manner used by the employer in question, no later than two weeks before their implementation. In addition to the above, where a new employee is hired, the employer is obliged to provide them with written information about the purposes, scope and manner of carrying out monitoring activities in the workplace before allowing that employee to commence work.
Information about tests for alcohol
If the employer intends to test the employees for alcohol or for substances having a similar effect to alcohol, relevant provisions in this regard must be included in the collective labour agreement or in the work rules or in a notice. In addition to this, as is the case with monitoring activities, the employer also has certain obligations relating to the provision of information to the employees.
The employer informs the employees about the testing in a standard manner used by the employer in question, no later than two weeks before the testing begins.
In the case of hiring an employee who is subject to testing, before allowing them to commence work, the employer is obliged to provide that employee with information in paper or electronic form about theintroduction of testing, the group or groups of employees subject to testing, the manner in which tests are carried out, and the time and frequency of the tests.
Information about regulations on equal treatment in employment
The employer makes the text of the regulations on equal treatment in employment available to the employees in the form of written information distributed at the workplace or ensures that the employees have access to those regulations in another manner used by the employer in question.
Information about the possibility of changing working hours, promotion opportunities and job vacancies
The employer is obliged to inform the employees in the standard manner used by the employer about:
- the possibility of full-time or part-time employment,
- promotion opportunities and job vacancies.
Information about reaching the headcount of 50 people
The employer is obliged to inform the employees about reaching the headcount of 50 people in a standard manner used by the employer in question. This information should be communicated to the employees immediately after reaching the aforesaid number, and the manner of determining that number is set out in the provisions of Article 7 of the Act on Informing and Consulting Employees.
The fact that the employer has reached that number of employees means that the employees may initiate the procedure of forming an employee council at the workplace.
Occupational health and safety information
A separate list of mandatory information to be provided to the employees is specified in the regulations on occupational health and safety. Detailed requirements in this respect are set out in Section Ten of the Labour Code and other labour law provisions concerning health and safety.
Go to publication
