Department of Labour Law

Research staff:

Assoc. Prof. Monika Tomaszewska, DSc (Head of the Department) [e-mail]

Prof. Jakub Stelina [e-mail]

Assoc. Prof. Marcin Zieleniecki, DSc [e-mail]

Jakub Szmit, PhD [e-mail]

Michał Szypniewski, PhD [e-mail]

Justyna Świątek-Rudoman, PhD [e-mail]

Marta Zbucka-Gargas, PhD [e-mail]

Department secretary:

Katarzyna Wylot, MA

e-mail: sekretariat04@prawo.ug.edu.pl

Scientific development and research of the Department
on the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Law and Administration (1970-2020)

The head of the Department is prof. dr hab. Jakub Stelina.

From the very beginning, the most important areas of scientific research of the Department included not only issues of labour law, but also social insurance law, or more broadly, social law. The academic work of the Department of Labour Law covers both general studies relating to the whole subject of labour law and social law, as well as more specific topics. In general, the publications include an extensive collective work edited by prof. Cz. Jackowiak, a comprehensive account of the evolution of social law (Rozwój ubezpieczeń społecznych w Polsce, Ossolineum 1990) and four editions of the highly regarded Kodeks pracy z komentarzem, edited by M. Jackowiak, with the contribution of almost all members of the Department. As for collective works, there are also two lexicons of basic concepts in the field of labour law (Ed. J. Stelina) and social security (Ed. A. Wypych-Żywicka), both of which are now being re-published.

Academic textbooks are an important part of the Department's output. Prof. Cz. Jackowiak was the co-author of one of the best Polish textbooks on labour law (other authors-W. Jaśkiewicz and W. Piotrowski, last edition Warszawa 1985). In addition, the textbook written by U. Jackowiak, W. Uziak and A. Wypych-Żywicka Prawo pracy. Podręcznik dla studentów prawa (last edition Warszawa 2009) is very popular among students. In 2009, a textbook on clerical law, edited by J. Stelina, was published for the first time. J. Stelina is also the editor of another textbook on labour law (Prawo pracy), co-authored by, inter alia, prof. M. Zieleniecki and prof. M. Tomaszewska, reprinted several times.

Detailed research trends are reflected in numerous monographs, commentaries and articles authored or co-authored by Department members. Key areas of their scientific interest include:

• labour protection (U. Jackowiak: Wyrównanie szkód niemajątkowych spowodowanych wypadkami przy pracy, Warszawa-Poznań 1975 and Sytuacja pracownicza kobiet, Gdańsk 1994),
• employment relationship protection (A. Wypych-Żywicka: Zasadność wypowiedzenia umowy o pracę, Gdańsk 1995, J. Stelina: Charakter prawny stosunku pracy z mianowania, Gdańsk 2005, U. Jackowiak: Kwalifikacje pracownicze w stosunku pracy, Gdańsk 1987, M. Piankowski: Ochrona pracowniczych roszczeń majątkowych, Bydgoszcz 2003, J. Stelina et al: Grupowe zwolnienia. Komentarz, Warszawa 2007 and J. Świątek-Rudoman, Wpływ tymczasowego aresztowania na stosunek pracy pracownika, 2017),
• collective labour law and sources of labour law (J. Stelina: Związkowa zdolność układowa, Poznań 2001, J. Szmit, Charakter prawny związku zawodowego, Warszawa 2014, as well as J. Stelina, M. Zieleniecki: Ustawa o informowaniu pracowników i przeprowadzaniu z nimi konsultacji z komentarzem, Gdynia 2006, J. Stelina, M. Zieleniecki et al: Ustawa o europejskich radach zakładowych z komentarzem, Gdańsk 2006, J. Stelina, M. Zieleniecki et al: Ustawa o europejskim zgrupowaniu interesów gospodarczych i spółce europejskiej z komentarzem, Gdańsk 2008),
• social security (L. Kaczyński: Renta socjalna, Gdańsk 1989, A. Wypych-Żywicka: Renta rodzinna z Funduszu Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, Gdańsk 2006)
• community labour law (M. Tomaszewska: Zasada wolności pracy w europejskim prawie wspólnotowym, Poznań 2003, M. Tomaszewska, Prawo integracji stosunku pracy. Między jednością a różnorodnością, Gdańsk 2011).

It is worth emphasizing that the academic achievements of the employees of the Department of Labour Law were dominated by topical subjects addressing issues of particular social importance. For example, a series of publications produced under the KBN grant on the role of labour law and social law in the systemic transformation in Poland (the Grant director was prof. Cz. Jackowiak) should be mentioned here. The Department also developed a number of interesting and innovative theoretical concepts, which are a significant contribution to the development of the science of labour law and social law in Poland. Professor Cz. Jackowiak was a proponent of the idea of social security, which includes three implementation techniques: social security, social supply, and social assistance. This idea was later developed by L. Kaczyński (Pojęcie zabezpieczenia społecznego i kryterium rozróżnienia jego technik. Praca i ZS 1986 No. 5/6) and A. Wypych-Żywcicka (Renta rodzinna, Gdańsk 2006). His research on the nature of labour law standards conducted at the Department was of great theoretical importance. As early as 1980, Lech Kaczyński defended his doctoral dissertation, written under the supervision of prof. Czesław Jackowiak, in which he presented a bold concept of the semi-dispositive nature of labour law norms at the time. At the time of the Polish People's Republic, there was a provision providing for the requirement of conformity of contractual clauses with labour law, which was generally interpreted as prohibiting derogations from the content of legal regulations in employment contracts to the detriment and benefit of the worker. L. Kaczynski demonstrated that the requirement of conformity of contractual stipulations with the provisions of the law could be interpreted as compliance with the nature of a standard, not its content. A very original concept of the interpretation of art. 300 k.p. (labour code) defining the relationship between labour law and civil law was developed by Cz. Jackowiak. The professor argued that the principles of labour law referred to in this provision cannot be identified with the basic principles of labour law catalogued in the Labour Code. Art. 300 k.p. refers to the general ideas of labour law, which take the form of the so-called meta-norms of labour law. Meta-norms have two important functions: on the one hand, they verify the admissibility of the application of the provisions of the Civil Code in the territory of individual employment law, on the other, if necessary, they form the basis for the resolution of a specific dispute between the employee and the employer. Unfortunately, prof. Jackowiak never published his views in print; they were known to us, the students of the professor, only from his lectures. However, in 2000, the views of prof. Jackowiak on art. 300 k.p. were outlined in an article by prof. Lech Kaczyński: Relacja między podstawowymi zasadami prawa a zasadami prawa pracy w rozumieniu art. 300 k.p. według koncepcji Profesora Czesława Jackowiaka. Gdańskie Stud. Prawn. 2000 No. 6). In addition, the Department produced many interesting publications on the sources of labour law, labour protection, etc.

Some of the most important scientific publications of the Department's staff in the last decade, not listed above in the section on major research directions or international activities, include e.g.

1. chapters by A. Wypych-Żywicka, M. Tomaszewska, M. Zieleniecki and J. Stelina in two volumes of the labour law system (Vol. I: Część ogólna, Warszawa 2010 and Vol. V: Zbiorowe prawo pracy, Warszawa 2014),
2. chapters of J. Stelina in Vol. XI of the System Prawa administracyjnego titled Stosunek służbowy, Warszawa 2011,
3. J. Stelina, Role of Law Schools and Law School Leadership in a Changing World - Polish Experience, US-China Law Review 2011, Vol. VIII, No. 2, pp. 171-175,
4. J. Stelina, Aussergewerkschaftliche kollektive Arbeitnehmervertretun in Polen, [in:] Aktuelle Probleme des Kollektivarbeitsechts in Polen und in Deutschland, ed. G. Goździewicz, Toruń 2012,
5. J. Stelina, Law schools as depositaries of the idea of human rights - from totalitarianism to young democracy (as exemplified Poland), US-China Law Review 2014, Vol. XI, No. 7, pp. 849-854,
6. M. Tomaszewska, Praktische Probleme mit der Koordination der sozialen Leistungen (Praktyczne problemy koordynacji systemów zabezpieczenia społecznego), [in:] Swobodny przepływ pracowników między Polską i Niemcami - próba bilansu z różnych perspektyw (Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit zwischen Deutschland und Polen - aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven), Interdirdisciplinary Polisch Studies 1, eds. D. Jajesniak-Quast, L. Kiel, M. Kłodnicki, Berlin 2014,
7. M. Tomaszewska, Prawo urzędnicze. Komentarz, ed. К.W. Baran, Wolters Kluwer, Warszawa 2014,
8. M. Tomaszewska, Kodeks pracy. Komentarz, ed. K.W Baran, Wolters Kluwer Business, Warszawa 2012 and 2014 (2nd edition),
9. textbook - S. Majkowska-Szulc, M. Tomaszewska, M. Zieleniecki, Zabezpieczenie społeczne w Unii Europejskiej, ed. J. Barcz, Vol. XX, 1^st edition, EuroPrawo, Warszawa 2012,
10. entries by M. Tomaszewska, Leksykon prawa morskiego. 100 podstawowych pojęć, ed. D. Pyć and I. Zużewicz-Wiewiórowska, C.H. Beck, Warszawa 2013,
11. M. Tomaszewska, The Right to Work in the Interaction with the Principle of Equal Treatment Irrespective of Age, [in:] Polish Review of International and European Law, Vol. 2, Issue 3, Warszawa 2013, pp. 41-68,
12. M. Tomaszewska, Impacto de la Crisis actual sobrela politica social en la Union Europea y sus consecuencias, [in:] Derecho Laboral y Seguridad Social, Buenos Aires Argentina 2012, No. 19, pp. 1700-1705,
13. M. Tomaszewska, Efektywność dyrektyw unijnych w praktyce polskich sądów pracy, [in:] Doświadczenia prawne pierwszych lat członkostwa Polski w Unii Europejskiej, ed. S. Biernat, S. Dudzik, Warszawa 2011,
14. M. Tomaszewska, Wolność związkowa, [in:] Europa przedsiębiorców, ed. Z. Brodecki, LexisNexis, Warszawa 2011. 18. M. Zieleniecki, Emerytura pomostowa w nowym systemie emerytalnym, Gdańsk 2011,
15. M. Łaga, J. Stelina, J. Szmit, Rada Dialogu Społecznego, 2016,
16. J. Stelina, Stosunki pracy osób pełniących funkcje organów państwa, 2016,
17. M. Łaga, Wielkość zatrudnienia jako kryterium dyferencjacji w prawie pracy, 2016,
18. M. Łaga, S. Bellomo, N. Gundt, J. M. Miranda Boto (eds.): Labour law and social rights in Europe: the jurisprudence of international courts selected judgements, 2017,
19. J. Stelina, J. Szmit (Eds.): Zbiorowe prawo zatrudnienia, Monografie, 2018,
20. M. Szypniewski, E. Podgórska-Rakiel, Zatrudnianie w Polsce cudzoziemców spoza UE, 2018,
21. J. Stelina, J. Szmit, M. Łaga, Institutions of tripartite social dialogue in Poland, 2019,
22. M. Szypniewski, Ochrona interesu pracownika delegowanego w ramach świadczenia usług w Unii Europejskiej, 2019.

It is important to stress that a significant part of the academic achievements of the Department are foreign-language publications (mainly in English, German and Spanish), partially mentioned above. Among them are the works of Cz. Jackowiak (Anpassung von Sozialleistungen in Polen, w Zeitschrift fur die gesamte Versicherungswissenschaft no. 2-3/1980, Grundlinien des Systems der sozialen Sicherheit in der Volksrepublik Polen, in: Sozialer Fortschritt – Unabhangige Zeitschrift fur Sozialpolitik, Berlin-Monachium 10/1985.), J. Stelina (Working time regulation in Poland – recent trends, (in:) Collective bargaing on working time. Recent European experiences, Brussels 2006, pp. 197-206, Representación extrasindical de los trabajadores en el Derecho del Trabajo polaco, Revista de Derecho Laboral y Seguridad Social 1/2007, pp. 20-31, El teletrabajo como una nueva forma de contratacion en el derecho comunitario europeo y en el derecho polaco, (in:) Revista Nova Tesis, Derecho Laboral y Relaciones del Trabajo, No. 9/2008, pp. 184-191, Protección de la estabilidad en el empleo en la Unión Europea como una limitación justificada de la libertad de contractación, (in:) Revista Nova Tesis, Derecho Laboral y Relaciones del Trabajo, No. 7-8/2009, pp. 64-76), M. Zieleniecki (Les directives sur l’egalite de traitement et la Pologne, in: Impact et perspectives des normes socials europeennes, Egalite de traitement et restructuration dans neuf pays de l’Union Europeenne, Centre de Recherche en Droit Social, CRDS EA 1664, Universite Lumiere Lyon 2 – France, The act on information and consultation of employees as an example of implementation of the directive 2002/1/14, in: Le migrazioni dal mercato del lavoro Polacco ed. L. Nogler, Trento 2008).

All of the above publications are the result of the enormous activity of the Department's staff internationally. Cooperation with the Max Planck Institute in Munich has resulted in numerous conferences and seminars with foreign guests (the last one, in 2005, dedicated to combating unemployment) and the participation of Department members in numerous conferences, seminars, and academic internships abroad. For many years, closer cooperation has been developed with some academic centres from countries in the South and Central America region (mainly Argentina and Guatemala). In the recent history of the Department of Labour Law, an important aspect of international activity has been the participation of its young academics in the European Young Legal Scholars Section of the Association for Labour and Social Security Law. The staff of the Department have also been involved in other international projects. Throughout its history, the Department of Labour Law also participates actively in most, if not all, of the major national labour law conferences.

Describing the most recent history of the Department, one cannot forget about the thriving research group of labour law Labor omnia vincit of the University of Gdańsk, which started its activity on 21 June 2016. In its ranks, it brings together students interested in deepening and disseminating legal knowledge with a particular focus on the broad field of labour law.