The changes on the contemporary labour market and the related challenges facing the State Labour Inspectorate were discussed during a conference on ‘The modern dimension of labour protection’, organised as part of the celebrations of the 105th anniversary of the State Labour Inspectorate and held on 14 November at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk.

The University of Gdansk is one of the largest employers in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, employing 3,500 people in both research and teaching positions, as well as administrative or technical support staff. ‘It is a great challenge in a dynamically changing labour market in all respects, both our statutory goals, which we want to achieve by keeping an eye on the best models of work culture, and going beyond standard measures in this respect, trying to anticipate what this labour market will look like in the future,' said the Rector of the UG, prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, opening the conference. ‘At the University of Gdańsk, we believe that what we do, we do not only for our daily gainful employment but first and foremost to fulfil our mission. I think that if in a workplace like the University of Gdańsk, we respect our mission, we follow our strategy of intellectual as well as sectoral presence in the region, the country or the European environment, then most of the challenges we face in terms of culture, quality, safety and labour protection are naturally addressed.’ The Rector also announced that the University of Gdańsk, in the latest edition of the ‘Employer - Organiser of Safe Work’ competition, organised by the Regional Labour Inspectorate in Gdańsk, took first place in the category of employers with more than 249 employees.

Kazimierz Kleina, Senator of the Republic of Poland and member of the Labour Protection Board, spoke about the changes that have taken place over the years in the State Labour Inspectorate at : 'Today, concern for working conditions is fundamental. The Labour Inspector is very much needed, especially nowadays, when the workplace is not looked at in the same way as it was 20 or 30 years ago. (...) Today's conference is intended to answer the question of how the State Labour Inspectorate is to adapt to circumstances that did not exist just a few years ago - issues related to artificial intelligence or the emergence of professions that were not present until now.'

Director of the Department of Labour Law at the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Assistant Professor at the Department of Labour Law at the Faculty of Law and Administration of UG dr Jakub Szmit spoke about the new possibilities and opportunities in the area of labour, but also the challenges and risks that follow. It is becoming necessary to identify, analyse and correctly standardise phenomena occurring in the broader work environment: ‘It is well known that even the best regulations will not do their job if they are not respected. One of the elements that provide a guarantee of compliance with labour law is precisely adequate and effective control.’

The Chief Labour Inspector, Marcin Stanecki, began his speech by outlining the origins of labour inspection institutions in Europe. This year marked the 105th anniversary of the day the professional labour inspectorate began operating in Poland, which provided an opportunity to compare the tasks facing labour inspectors in the past and today. The challenges facing the State Labour Inspectorate in the near future were also presented. 'We conduct extensive information activities in primary schools, secondary schools or universities. In this way, we are building an informed society. Each of our inspections or responses to complaints is also an educational activity. Every fine is a form of preventive action. (...) We are also working on a new State Labour Inspectorate Act. It is time for labour inspectors to take full advantage of the latest IT solutions and use modern technologies.’

Dr Barbara Godlewska-Bujok, Vice-Chair of the Labour Protection Council from the Department of Legal Problems of Administration and Management at the Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw, spoke about changes in the labour sphere, new phenomena and legislative challenges in her lecture. Dr Marta Zbucka-Gargas, a member of the Labour Protection Council from the Chair of Labour Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Gdańsk, gave a lecture on ‘The fulfilment of public law obligations by the State Labour Inspectorate in the light of changing labour conditions’.

In the second part of the conference, the Head of the Labour Law Department of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the UG, prof. dr. hab. Monika Tomaszewska, talked about the tasks of the State Labour Inspectorate in view of the changes in modern forms of employment, while dr. hab. Łukasz Pisarczyk from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Silesia and Piotr Korzucha, a member of the Labour Law Team in the Social Dialogue Council, spoke about the development of collective relations in Poland in the context of challenges for the State Labour Inspectorate. Finally, a lecture entitled ‘The impact of artificial intelligence on the changing work environment, including the State Labour Inspectorate’ was given by the Deputy Head of the Department of Computer Science in Management at the Faculty of Management and Economics of the Gdansk University of Technology, dr Krzysztof Redlarski.

The conference culminated in a panel discussion led by Deputy District Labour Inspector in Gdansk Patrycja Potocka-Szmoń. ‘The fact that expectations of the State Labour Inspectorate are formulated in such numbers testifies to its reputation. So I would say that if so much is expected of the State Labour Inspectorate, it shows above all its prestige and the fact that it is very accessible to citizens, unlike other institutions,’ concluded Professor Monika Tomaszewska.