The mask slips: rights under attack in Poland

The author argues that the Law and Justice (PiS) party used social policies as a 'smokescreen' to establish an authoritarian system in Poland. During the pandemic, the government introduced 'shield' legislation that attempted to exclude trade unions from layoff negotiations and grant the prime minister power to dismiss members of the Social Dialogue Council. These actions, combined with a Constitutional Tribunal ruling that significantly restricted abortion rights and the creation of 'LGBT-free zones', have alienated the working class and weakened the party's populist claim to represent the people. While the opposition has yet to fully capture the resulting undecided voters, the author suggests that defending social and reproductive rights is the primary path to challenging right-wing populism in Poland.

• The Law and Justice (PiS) party used social policies, such as increasing the minimum wage from 1750 to 2250 złoty between 2015 and 2019 and providing child benefit packages, to win elections while systematically dismantling the rule of law and the judiciary.
• During the pandemic, the Polish government introduced 'shield' legislation that sought to undermine workers' rights, including attempts to exclude trade unions from negotiations over layoffs and reduced hours, and the abolition of a company social fund for low-paid workers.
• Amendments enacted on 31 March 2020 granted the prime minister the authority to dismiss members of the Social Dialogue Council, a body comprising unions, employers, and the government, almost at will.
• The government has aggressively targeted reproductive and LGBT rights, including a Constitutional Tribunal ruling in October 2020 that declared the legality of abortions in cases of severe and irreversible foetal impairment—which accounted for 90 per cent of abortions in Poland—to be unconstitutional.
• The combination of attacks on social rights during the pandemic and the restriction of reproductive rights has eroded support for PiS, as evidenced by a slim victory in the July presidential election (51.03 per cent) and polling from November 2020 showing support dropping by 12 points to 28 per cent.

APA

Rogalewski, A. (2020). The mask slips: rights under attack in Poland. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-mask-slips-rights-under-attack-in-poland/

Chicago

Rogalewski, Adam. The mask slips: rights under attack in Poland. Green European Journal, 2020. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-mask-slips-rights-under-attack-in-poland/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rogalewski |first1=Adam |title=The mask slips: rights under attack in Poland |publisher=Green European Journal |date=30 November 2020 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-mask-slips-rights-under-attack-in-poland/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rogalewski2020mask, author = {Rogalewski, Adam}, title = {{The mask slips: rights under attack in Poland}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-mask-slips-rights-under-attack-in-poland/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }