Marcin Stanecki, who served as Chief Inspector of Labor from June 15, 2024, gave an interview to the Polish Press Agency before stepping down (he was replaced by Janusz Krasoń on July 1, 2026). The former head of PIP spoke strongly about people working on B2B contracts, warning them of the consequences of such decisions.
“In practice they face pension poverty and lack of full protection in random cases. I’m thinking of symbolic sickness benefits or small pensions in case of a serious accident, which can of course limit their ability to support themselves and their families,” Marcin Stanecki said in an interview with PAP.
How did the former PIP head evaluate the solutions that will come into force on July 8, 2026, allowing the State Labor Inspection to convert civil law contracts or B2B contracts into employment contracts – it is a necessity.
Let’s remember that the fight against “hidden jobs” is Poland’s commitment to the European Commission, which was listed as one of the milestones whose fulfillment was a condition for receiving money from the National Reconstruction Plan.
Will the Polish labor market face a revolution?
Experts in the labor market note that employers are not yet rushing to replace civil law contracts or B2B contracts with employment contracts, emphasizing that they are waiting for the regulations to come into force. Then it will become clear how effective the State Labor Inspection’s actions will be. Which companies or sectors will be inspected first? And how effective will the PIP inspectors be? Is there really something to fear?
There seems to be a larger movement by employees dissatisfied with their employment conditions. As Marcin Stanecki told PAP, since the beginning of 2026 the number of complaints received by the State Labor Inspection from employees has increased by 100% year on year.
“After the reform comes into force, you can expect more of them. Every inspection in this area will be announced to entrepreneurs in advance” Marcin Stanecki said.
He added that PIP will first have to focus on inspections and contracts where it is most needed. Can this be read as meaning that inspectors will first react to employee complaints, and only later designate workplaces where inspections will be carried out?
Benefit for employers and employees?
The new powers of the State Labor Inspection inspectors, which will allow them to change civil law contracts – commission and work contracts – and B2B contracts, will come into force on July 8, 2026. Experts note that this form of employment is often preferred by employees because it gives them freedom of work, which literally allows them to work at the time set by the employee, both in terms of the time of day and the duration of tasks. It is also a way to simultaneously collaborate with different entities.
“These employment forms give flexibility to employees who are not subject to the rigidity of an eight‑hour workday, as is often the case with employment relationships. Another factor that makes it a preferred option for many employees and employers is the fact that it is associated with significantly lower tax burdens, especially contributions, which benefits both sides,” notes Michał Płatek, legal counsel and tax advisor.
The expert adds that the thesis put forward by former PIP head Marcin Stanecki that people working on such contracts are at risk of pension poverty is bold, and he himself does not entirely agree with it.
“In large part, at least if we talk about people who cooperate with companies on B2B contracts, they earn a lot. These are IT specialists, lawyers, doctors, architects, or engineers. In my opinion, they consciously choose this form of cooperation because it pays off financially. As for the future, their income allows them to secure their future in an alternative way other than contributions,” emphasizes Michał Płatek.
The legal counsel and tax advisor stresses that this concerns people who make a conscious choice, not those who are not offered a job on a full‑time basis, especially when there is an employment relationship, i.e., work is performed for eight hours a day, usually at the same hours, under the employer’s supervision, without the ability to decide when and how long such a person spends on tasks.
“This is contrary to the Labor Code and has been for a long time, so these new regulations do not introduce any revolution. The change concerns the method that will allow the conversion of the employment relationship and the inspection itself. In reality, work performed for eight hours a day should be a full‑time job, unless the employee does not want it,” stresses Michał Płatek.
As the expert points out, the proposal for a contract that allows employment is often economically conditioned. The smaller the city, where the problem of finding work is greater, the more companies that do not offer full‑time jobs.
“An employee’s position in a large city is completely different from that in a county town or a small locality where jobs are scarce. It is not that the country is uniform across its entire breadth. In poor municipalities, large employers that provide jobs are not many, so employees are often forced by the situation to work on “garbage” jobs because they simply have no other option,” notes Michał Płatek, legal counsel and tax advisor.
Will companies start to collapse due to changes in the regulations?
Converting civil law contracts or B2B contracts into employment contracts for many Polish companies that have not previously employed workers in this way may mean a huge financial burden. On one hand, the possibility of full‑time work should be the standard, but on the other hand, if the choice is between “garbage” work or no work, many would certainly choose the former.
“You have to be careful not to spill the child in the bath. Everything will depend on how the State Labor Inspection operates. In my opinion, PIP will not direct inspections at the largest entities, i.e., large companies that employ workers through B2B contracts. These huge enterprises have a mass of lawyers, which can effectively discourage inspectors. I believe that the first target of inspections will be small and medium enterprises in Polish county towns that do not have a legal base to fight for their interests,” assesses Michał Płatek.
As the expert adds, this could lead to many companies ending their operations, as many are already on the brink of profitability.
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