On 19 December 2016, President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, signed an act lowering the retirement age. As of 1 October 2017, women in the age of 60 and men who reach 65 will be able to retire.

On 8 December, Stanisław Szwed, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, took part in the meeting of the EU Council on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs. 

The conference “National dialogue on the future of work,” organised on 7 December by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and the Institute of Labour and Social Studies, was opened by Stanisław Szwed, Secretary of State. 

On the occasion of the coming third International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Krzysztof Michałkiewicz, Government Plenipotentiary for Disabled People, addressed his wishes to people with disabilities.

In 2017, increases in minimum wages and pensions will occur. The minimum hourly wage will be introduced. Some of the provisions related to supporting people with disabilities and their carers will change. We present the most significant changes.

On 23 November, Minister Elżbieta Rafalska met with Jonathan Knott, Ambassador of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Poland.

On 22 November 2016, the Agreement between the Republic of Poland and the State of Israel on social security was signed in Jerusalem. On the Polish side, the Agreement was signed by Elżbieta Rafalska, Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

“Social worker is a profession that requires heart, it is mission and a service,” Prime Minister Beata Szydło said on the Social Worker Day. 21 November is the holiday of all workers of social services, and in particular of social workers. 

Around 9.2% of children under the age of 3 are covered by care. Around 3.4 thousand facilities which provide about 93.5 thousand places of care for the youngest are operating in Poland.

“Three pillars of our programme, that were filled with successive implementation of commitments every day our work, is family, development and security,” Prime Minister Beata Szydło said at the conference summing up the first year of rule of Law and Justice.