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128 Zbigniew lją)n____ ^

nor on any othcr rclatmg 10 it in ihc mcaning of ihe Codę of Gwj Procedurę. Thus it docs not bdong to the realni of dvil cases which can be dectdcd by the Labour Court.¹'

5.2. Scopc of bargaioing

Polish law ensures broad freedom of collectivc bargaining for the uniom and employers Lach employer or employers' orguni/alion may enter a co-llcctivc agreement An agreement applies by virtuc of law to the empłoyem, and if the partics so dccide. also to othcr persons hke horncworkers, agenti. ołTer takers, retired cmployccs The Labour Codę prorides also for unliniited liberty of shaping the subjcct of collcctivc agreement ncgotiations.

Terms of remuneration and othcr icrms und conditions of work may also be dedded id intcrnal workplace rcgulations. The most important arc work rules and pay rcgulations. which arc obligalory at workplaccs with a: least 20 cmployccs unlcss a collective agreement compriscs ąueslions beloo-ging to the subjcct matter. Work rules delines the cmployee's and cmplo>cr'i rights and dutics connccted with kccping the workplace in order includin) a schedulc of the working timc. Pay regulalion seltlc terma of rcmuneratico and othcr payments. In principle, thcsc two rcgulations may rcplace a co-llcctivc labour agreement which is oflcn an allractivc prospect for bot; partners bccause of an casicr way of establishing them and the lack of owi to register. In prictiee. in majority of esUhlishments the said rcgulatiow subslitute cołlectivc labour agreements. As already indicated, an employer a obliged to agree the intercal rules with trade unions in the undertaking, provided one exisU. Intcrnal regulations laid down by the employer and o« agreed with trade unions havc no binding force.” In practice, it mcans thtir conlcnt has to be ncgoiiatcd. Hcncc the majority view in the doctrioe o that they constitutc a specific typc of a collective agreement. Also othcr internat rules of an establishment arc adopted in a similar way. induda*. among the others. rules of procedurę for awards and bonuses, rules gukiiaj the company Fund of Sodal Bcncfits which identify the rules of alloc»tiq rcsourccs from the fund to specific goals and typcs of sodal actirity ud the terms of bcncfiting from scmces financcd by the Fund.¹* Also othcr dedsions by employers arc negotiated pursuanl to law, such as the etiensłca

~Sce t.R. Rewluuon of 19 kehnury 1992. I PZJ* 10/92. OSNC 1992 vot. 9. .len 1Ą Rctolccon No. 7 of tbe judget of ibe Suprtn* Court of 23 M»> 2001. Ul ZP 17/00. OS>ł 2001. No. 23. nera 654

^lł IŁg. fudgemenU of tbe Sepretne Court of 21 Mirek 2001, I PKN 320/00. OSNP 2J2Ł No. 24. Hen 599 and of 12 Februuy 2004. I PK 349/03. OSNP 2005. No. 1, i»m 4.

“ Ad of 4 Much 1994 o® the WockpUc* Socui fuod. J of L. No 70. item 335 MMOdcmcatt

of rcfcrcncc pcriods for working hours (rcfcrrcd to in Art. 129 § 2 and Aft- 135 f 2 and 3 L.C.), listing particularly dangcrous jobs or jobs entailing lubstantial physical or men tal effort with rcspcct to night work (Art. 151⁷ $ 4 L.C). if there is no trade union in an uodertaking. thcsc dcasions, unilarly to the intcrnal rcgulations, can be adopted by the employer himsclf of after consulting non-union representatiws of cmpioyces.

There are also negotiatcd collcctive accords othcr than collective labour agreements. They are souroes of labour law if they arc bascd on a statuę and rcgulatc the rights and dulics of the partics to the employment relationship. They arc callcd 'nominatc collcctive accords.’ They indude, among olhers:

-    agreements relating to the collcctive labour agreement (agreement on the ipłementation of the collectivc agreement or of some of its provision&, Art. 241^r L.C.. agreement* to suspend the coHcctivc agreement in its entirety ot in part, Art. 241¹⁰ L.C.);

-    agreements defining rules of making collcctivc tedundaocies;¹⁷

-    agreements conccrning employees' rights in the cvcnl of transfers of undertakings, businesses or parts of under.akings or businesses (Art. 26' TUA);

-    agreements on suspension of provisions of specific labour law (i.c. provisions or a colIcctive agreement or intcrnal establishment rugulations - Art. 9' L.C.);

‘ - agreements on applying less favourable terms of work than lhosc agrccd in the contract of employment (Art. 23“ L.C);

-    establishment social security schcmcs agreements;¹*

-    agreements on averagc monthly incrcasc of remuneration in a givcn uodertaking in a givcn year.'*

Othcr agreements arc defined as ‘innominatc collective accords.’ Thcsc are not sources of law for cmployccs and employers but only sourccs of obbgations for partics to them.³⁰ The ąualificalion of particułar collcctivc accords. likc some agreements tcrminaling a collcctivc disputc or agreements connectcd with privatisation of enterprises (the so callcd: social pacts) to one of the groups is very conlrovcrsial. In generał, courts tend to qualify the agreements to the category of tbe nominatc ones.³¹ It encourages to

" Ad of 13 Mar et 2003 oo spedlic role* Tor termin* ling employment contract t for Kucot not relating to anpioyect. i. of L. No. 00, item 844.

“ Act of 20 Apnl 2004 on peaiion scheme* for onployees, J of l.. 2004, No. 116, item 1207.

" Art 4 j 1-3 of the Act of 16 Decem her 1994 on the negotitlod %y»lem of deculmg aoeuet m average remuneration in firm* and aneading ccriain othcr acta (I. of L. 1995. Ko. I, item 2 a» ameeded).

*    Eg. the judgement of the Supremo Court of 2000, I PKN 541,<99.

*    Eg. the yjdgcmcnt of 1999. I PKN 176/99; the judgement of 17.11.1999. I PKN 364/99