On the threshold of Easter Holidays

Labour inspectors will inspect retail entities

Intensified inspections of retail entities, especially large-area ones, in connection with the upcoming Easter Holidays, were announced by Bożena Borys-Szopa, Chief Labour Inspector, during a meeting with journalists which was held in Warsaw on 13 March 2008. The NLI’s head also appealed to employers from retail entities asking them to observe employee rights and ensure safety in workplaces.

In the Pre-Easter appeal of the Chief Labour Inspector one can read: “You should not create the conditions when your employees would associate the period of preparation for Easter solely with excessive workload, chronic tiredness, lengthening of working time contrary to the adopted standards, excessive stress and numerous hazards to health and even life! Yet, such practices still exist in a great many retail entities, which was also confirmed during NLI’s inspections before Christmas in 2007.”

In more than half of supermarkets and hypermarkets inspected last year, labour inspectors identified irregularities related to compliance with labour law and OSH provisions. In one third of the inspected large-area shops, the NLI’s inspectors identified shortcomings in keeping working time records, and in one fourth of the inspected shops employees were not granted due leaves. In 51% of the inspected hypermarkets the personal files of employees were not kept accurately. The NLI’s inspections also showed that in 24% of the inspected supermarkets the rule of a five-day working week was not observed, and in 20% of supermarkets the employees were not given due rest breaks.

Roman Giedrojć, Deputy Chief Labour Inspector stated that our inspectorate carries out inspection tasks in all retail networks, also in TESCO shops. In 2007 there were 168 inspections in TESCO shops; 757 decisions were issued, including 30 orders to discontinue work due to imminent hazard to health or life. 18 employees were directed to other types of work. 36 persons were penalised with fines, and with regard to one a motion for penalising was lodged with the court. In the current year 40 inspections have already been conducted in the TESCO chain; labour inspectors issues 163 decisions and penalised 7 individuals with fines.

Incompliance with regulations on manual transport of goods is particularly often identified in large-area retail entities. Bożena Borys-Szopa, Chief Labour Inspector informed the journalists that a new edition of the European campaign “Manual Handling of Loads”, targeted at the retail and construction sectors, begins in April this year. Actions of 30 countries are coordinated by National Labour Inspectorate. The Polish inspection is the first institution representing the new EU Member States which has been entrusted by the Senior Labour Inspectors’ Committee with planning and monitoring implementation of a pan-European campaign.

Therefore, in the pre-Easter appeal Chief Labour Inspector also draws attention to the necessity to observe rules and requirements of ergonomics. The aim is to minimise high risk of musculoskeletal disorders among supermarket workers who are overloaded with the weight of transported goods and overburdened with the pace of performing transportation tasks.