THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON COLLECTIVE RELATIONS IN POLAND

Abstract

The crisis caused by the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the legislature to make numerous legal changes. The undertaken measures comprised labour law understood in the broadest sense. They were intended to protect the economy, including jobs, from the dramatic consequences of the spread of the virus and the associated danger. The extraordinary circumstances called for specific measures, focused on protecting work and workers. The drafting of protective regulations, under such special circumstances, could not take place without dialogue involving the labour. At the multi-company level, this was seeking concrete solutions to protect the employees. In turn, at the company level, the partners exercised the rights guaranteed by the anticrisis regulations. The article offers an analysis of the legal situation of participants in social dialogue – both the employees and the employers. In retrospect, it is possible to evaluate specific measures which have been adopted.