A 7-hour working day for parents of children up to 13 years of age and an additional 3 days of leave for each child at the expense of the Social Insurance Fund (not the employer). These are just some of the new privileges that are intended to raise the “lowest fertility level in Poland in history”

Petition Seeks Expanded Parental Rights in Poland Amidst Historic Low Birthrate

Warsaw, Poland – A petition calling for increased labor rights for pregnant women and parents of young children is currently under review by the Polish Sejm, as the nation grapples with its lowest recorded fertility rate. Submitted on ​July 23, 2025,⁢ the petition-identified as BKSP-155-X-626/25-proposes measures including a 7-hour workday for parents ⁤of children under 13 and an additional three days of paid leave per child, funded by⁢ the Social Insurance Fund rather then employers.

These proposed changes aim to address Poland’s demographic challenges, with recent data indicating a continuing decline in ⁤birth rates.^{1, 2} The petition’s advocates argue that bolstering parental support through enhanced workplace protections is crucial to reversing this trend. Currently, the petition has been submitted for consideration by the Sejm Committee on Petitions on august 5,‌ 2025, with the ⁢deadline for its​ consideration extended to October 23, 2025. ​However, as of today, no meeting date has been scheduled for committee discussion, nor has the Sejm Office of Expertise‍ and Regulatory Impact Assessment prepared a legal opinion on the petition’s proposals.

The petition specifically targets improving conditions for parents of children, particularly‍ those under 13 years of age. The proposed 7-hour⁣ workday and additional leave days are intended to alleviate the pressures faced by working parents and provide greater versatility for childcare. Funding the additional leave through the Social‍ Insurance Fund would remove the financial burden from employers, perhaps encouraging greater support for parental leave requests.

The legal ‍basis ​for potential changes rests on the Act of June 26, 1974,​ Labor ‌Code (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2025, item 277). The next step in the process hinges on the Sejm Committee on Petitions scheduling ​a‌ meeting⁢ to discuss the petition ⁢and the subsequent planning of a legal opinion by the Sejm Office of Expertise and Regulatory Impact Assessment.

¹ Birth Gauge, Data on Births and ‍the Total fertility Rate (TFR)​ 2025, August 2, 2025.
² Central Statistical Office, demographic situation in Poland, July 23, 2025.