Precarious work in Poland: how to tackle the abuse of atypical forms of employment?

The pressure on labour market flexibility in Poland is connected with the development of atypical forms of employment, which has led to their uncontrolled proliferation and in many cases to their abuse, resulting in a segmentation of the labour market. To bring more stability, some regulatory changes have been introduced, partly initiated by the decisions of CJEU and EU Commission. The chapter provides an analysis of measures undertaken since 2016 to tackle the phenomenon of precarisation of working conditions in Poland, covering fixed term employment contracts, employment on the basis of civil law contracts and self-employment, temporary agency work and a recent widening of freedom of association in trade unions. In the conclusions, the risks of precariousness for the described forms of employment are assessed.