A Radom-based haulage company was hit with a PLN 25,000 (€5,500) fine after a court confirmed that it had hired 58 foreign nationals on terms that breached Polish work-permit rules. The verdict, delivered on 9 September and publicised by the Nadwiślański Border Guard on 22 September, follows a four-month investigation covering 131 drivers from Belarus, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. Inspectors found that employment contracts differed materially from the conditions stated in the underlying type-A work permits, including lower wages and longer hours. In some cases, mandatory copies of employment contracts were never filed with the Voivode. The court imposed the maximum penalty available under Article 120 of the Act on the Employment of Foreigners for a first-time offence. The case serves as a warning to Poland’s booming road-transport sector, which relies heavily on third-country nationals amid a chronic driver shortage. Employers must match actual job conditions with permit terms and submit contract copies within seven days of signature. Failure can trigger fines of up to PLN 50,000 and, in serious cases, a temporary hiring ban. Mobility managers should note that immigration authorities are now cross-checking Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) data against work-permit registers. Companies using temporary-assignment models—where drivers hold permits based in another EU country but work predominantly in Poland—should revisit posted-worker notifications and A1 certificates to avoid similar penalties.
Source: Nadwiślański Border Guard
