Parliamentary Committees approved the report on NLI’s activity in 2007

The combined Parliamentary Committees: for State Supervision and for Social Policy and Family approved the Chief Labour Inspector’s Report on the National Labour Inspectorate’s activity in 2007. It took place at the session chaired by Arkadiusz Czartoryski and Sławomir Piechota, held in Parliament on 14 October 2008. The document was presented to MPs by Anna Tomczyk, Deputy Chief Labour Inspector.

 The Labour Protection Council’s position on the report was presented to the combined committees by the Council’s chairperson – MP Izabela Katarzyna Mrzygłocka. The Council pointed out, among others that in the National Labour Inspectorate’s activity, the year 2007 was a special period during which – by virtue of the new Act – the inspectorate’s scope of tasks was extended by supervision of legality of employment; this has resulted in broadening of labour inspectors’ tasks. They conducted over 12 thousand additional inspections. The Labour Protection Council was concerned about information that the year 2007 was the second subsequent year which saw an increase in the number of accidents by 3.9% as compared to 2006. The Council recommended intensified supervision of construction which is the sector with the highest accident rates and cases of negligence in the area of work safety and health. It is all the more justified because – as the Chairperson emphasised – in the coming years there would be a significant development of construction investments connected with EURO 2012. While positively assessing NLI’s inspection and preventative activities, MP Izabela Katarzyna Mrzygłocka concluded that although the said actions are very intensive, they do not reach a significant part of employers and employees due to limited financial resources. The said situation needs to be changed and, therefore, the Labour Protection Council expects the National Labour Inspectorate to present suggestions of systemic solutions, along with a request for assigning the necessary financial resources. The Council positively assessed the fact that the situation as regards payment of remuneration in a correct and timely manner has improved. However, due to significant social disadvantages of this phenomenon, the Council recommended that inspections in this area be continued, and the number of those concerning working time be increased.

Arkadiusz Czartoryski, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for State Supervision said that the scale of irregularities in the area of work safety and health was confirmed, among others, by the fact that in the reporting year labour inspectors had to issue over 12 thousand decisions ordering to stop work activities without delay in connection with identified immediate hazards to workers’ health and life. Following labour inspectors’ orders, over 12 thousand workers were directed to other tasks because they were engaged – contrary to existing provisions – in forbidden, harmful or hazardous work without having the required qualifications.

MP Arkadiusz Czartoryski also pointed out a fall in the number of inspected employers who did not observe provisions on the payment of remuneration for work – from 31% in 2006 to 26% in the reporting year. The percentage difference may not be very impressive – but, as the MP noted – it means thousands of persons who received their pay! It is a great merit of labour inspectors. In 2007 inspectors conducted more than 80 thousand inspections which covered 61 thousand employers. The chairman also said: – One has to appreciate the fact that NLI has adjusted its operations to the changing situation in the labour market, as well as those elements which result from the European Union requirements. Labour inspectors increasingly abandon repressive methods, replacing them with broadly understood prevention – emphasised MP Czartoryski. Legal and technical counselling, provided by NLI’s specialists free of charge, is still very popular. As results from the report, 1 300 000 pieces of advice were provided.

The chairman thanked the former Chief Labour Inspector Bożena Borys-Szopa for her work in 2007.

After the discussion, during which MPs also raised the issue of inspecting legality of employment, the combined Committees approved the National Labour Inspectorate’s Report for 2007.

 The meeting was also attended by Iwona Hickiewicz, Deputy Chief Labour Inspector along with the closest co-workers.