“Yes, be demanding.” The Minister of Labor writes to young people

The letter addressed to young people was read in the Senate. The head of the Ministry of Labor expressed her belief that generational change has a chance of translating into significant changes in Polish work culture. She emphasized that young people, brought up in the era of new technologies, break away from the canon of work of their parents and create a generation of independent and brave people, and for them work is not an end in itself, but only a means to achieve other goals.

“Young people highly value their mental and social well-being. They want to live healthily, have healthy relationships with people, and live in harmony with themselves. For the vast majority of them, work-life balance, i.e. the balance between professional and private life, is more important than salary,” Dziemianowicz-Bąk pointed out.

She expressed her belief that exercising one’s employment rights is not the same as demanding. “If this alleged demandingness is to expect young people to respect their labor rights, then as the Minister of Labor I can say with full responsibility: yes, be demanding, make sure that no one violates your rights, demand normal employment contracts, even at the very beginning your professional path. Don’t agree to unpaid overtime, don’t take work home, and maintain a balance between your private and professional life,” he encourages young people.

Free Christmas Eve. KO voted together with the Confederation

Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk has repeatedly proven herself as an advocate of maintaining a balance between private life and work. She is a supporter of a four-day work week and Christmas Eve off. The Left submitted its proposal several days ago. There was no shortage of emotions during the first reading in the Sejm. One of the biggest opponents of an additional day off is Ryszard Petru. The Polish 2050 MP believes that this will bring huge losses to the Polish economy.

During the voting block, MPs decided on the future of the project. Daria Gosek-Popiołek proposed that the bill go directly to the second reading. – If this bill reaches the Committee on Economy and Development, which is headed by the great opponent of a free Christmas Eve, i.e. Ryszard Petru, there will be no free Christmas Eve. Neither this year nor in the following years. Millions of Poles are waiting for this day off from work, explained the Left MP.

This idea did not gain the approval of the parliamentary majority. Supporters of sending the bill immediately to the second reading lost by a vote of 213 to 235. The Gosek-Popiołek initiative was supported by 183 PiS MPs, 2 KO MPs (Małgorzata Tracz and Franciszek Sterczewski), 21 MPs from the Left, 5 MPs from Razem and 2 from the Republicans group.

154 KO politicians voted against, 31 from Poland 2050, 31 from PSL, 17 from Confederation and 2 from the Republicans group. Only one parliamentarian abstained from voting – unaffiliated Adam Gomoła. 11 MPs did not take part in the vote.

Free Christmas Eve this year? Voting results

Then, the MPs voted to refer the project to the Committee on Social Policy and Family and the Committee on Economy and Development. This solution was supported by 235 MPs (154 from KO, 31 from PSL, 30 from Trzecia Droga, 17 from Confederation, 2 from Republicans and Adam Gomoła). There were 184 PiS MPs against it, 2 KO MPs (Małgorzata Tracz and Franciszek Sterczewski), 21 MPs from the Left, 5 MPs from Razem, 2 from the Republicans group and Paulina Hennig-Kloska from Trzecia Droga. No one abstained.