The lowest national rate is PLN 5,015. An increase of no less than 7.48 percent. Cards on the table

Three trade unions intend to propose a common minimum wage rate and budget increases for 2026. They were obtained by "Rzeczpospolita".

According to the newspaper, in the case of the public sector, the increases should amount to no less than 12 percent. This is related - as the unions reported - to the crisis in public administration caused by low wages. Their increase would solve at least some of the problems of this sector.

In the case of the minimum wage in the economy, trade unionists proposed that it should be at least 7.48 percent higher from January 1, 2026. This would mean an increase of PLN 349 gross compared to the current rate. This would mean that from the beginning of the next year, the minimum wage would amount to PLN 5,015 gross .

As Norbert Kusiak from OPZZ said in an interview with "Rzeczpospolita", the unions do not want to allow for "a real decrease in the minimum wage".

If we were to apply the parameters resulting from the act, the increase would amount to approximately PLN 41, which is less than 1 percent. However, the government forecasts inflation at 3.8 percent. We would therefore be dealing with a real decrease in the value of the minimum wage, and we cannot allow this to happen.

- he explained.

He added that unionists pay attention to the relation of the minimum wage to the average salary. For this reason, they proposed an increase that - in their opinion - will not affect the real decrease in the national minimum wage and will maintain the "correct" relation between the average and the average salary.

Trade unions have also taken positions on the indexation of pensions and retirement benefits . In their opinion, next year's indexation should not be lower than the average annual price index for households increased by 50 percent of the increase in the average salary in 2025 .