Social Rights

The Department of Social Rights at the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy of Poland, organised a meeting on the European Social Charter, on 28–29 October, in Warsaw, Poland.

The Council of Europe delegation was composed of the President of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), Aoife Nolan, Mr Grega Strban, ECSR member, the former President of ECSR, Karin Lukas as well as staff members of Department of Social Rights.

The Council of Europe delegation held bilateral meetings with Mr. Sebastian Gajewski, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and Mr Jakub Wiśniewski, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the possible ratification of the revised European Social Charter by Poland. This was also discussed in a meeting with a group of parliamentarians that included the Deputy Speaker of the Senate Magdalena Biejat and several members of Committees dealing with social affairs in both Chambers – the Sejm and the Senate.

Representatives of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the National Labor Inspectorate participated in the main meeting  on the non-accepted provisions of the European Social Charter. A number of selected provisions of the Charter was discussed, clarifying issues related to labour rights, children and young people's rights, dignity at work and the right to information and consultation in the workplace. On this occasion, the ECSR members presented the Charter system and the collective complaints procedure.

Finally, the delegation held a separate meeting with the social partners represented in the Council of Social Dialogue and with civil society representatives.

These meetings represented an added value for the promotion of social rights at the national level in Poland, but also an opportunity for the authorities to have a direct dialogue with the ECSR, with a view to accepting additional provisions of the Charter and ratifying the revised European Social Charter and the collective complaints procedure.