01 March 2017 WARSAW — The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw organized a seminar on the “Rights and Obligations of Foreign Workers in Poland” on February 26 to raise the awareness of the Filipinos in Poland of their rights and responsibilities as foreign workers in the country.

Ms. Dorota Gorajska and Ms. Anna Kaczmarczyk, both from Poland’s Legality of Employment Department of the National Labor Inspectorate were the guest speakers during the event.

Ms. Gorajska and Ms. Kaczmarczyk started off the seminar by describing the different forms of employment present in Poland: one based on the Polish Labor Code and the other based on Polish Civil Code. They also explained the important provisions of the Polish Labor Code, such as on working time, annual leave, entitlements for female workers and parents, among others.

The experts advised participants that it was in the best interest of foreigners to sign an employment contract (as opposed to a contract based on the Civil Code) to ensure that they are able to receive the full benefits provided under the Polish Labor Code. They also advised the attendees against commencing work with an employer without a written contract.

The experts also reminded them of the two ways that working people in Poland can assert their rights if these rights are disregarded by their employer: by filing a complaint with the District Labor Inspector or by filing a petition directly with the Labor Court.

The seminar was conducted in cooperation with the National Labor Inspectorate of the Republic of Poland. END