Last Wednesday, President Andrzej Duda signed an amendment to the Bridging Pensions Act.

Bridging pensions will now be available to people who do not have any years of employment in special conditions before 1 January 1999 . The latest amendment to the bridging pensions law repeals the expiring character of the benefit and includes regulations on strengthening the legal protection of trade union members as well as pregnant women, among others.

"Under the agreement between the Government and NSZZ 'Solidarność' the parties decided to repeal the provision on the expiring character of the benefit. This means that a much wider group of people will become eligible for bridging pensions. Indeed, the law will apply to all workers born after 31 December 1948 who work in special conditions or do jobs of special character, not only to those who did so before 1 January 1999," explains Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg.

She emphasised that it was an important change expected by the public.

"Repealing the expiring character of bridging pensions due to the possibility for younger workers to become eligible for a bridging pension can contribute to greater appeal of work in special conditions and of a special character," underlined the head of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy.

Therefore, in the near future, older people who start receiving bridging pensions can be replaced by qualified workers entering the labour market.

What are bridging pensions?

The bridging pension is a type of a periodic benefit (available until reaching the state pension age) paid to people who perform work in special conditions or of a special character. The transitional nature is a characteristic feature of bridging pensions. They are a kind of a bridge between benefits acquired before reaching the state pension age and the entitlement to the pension paid under the general provisions of the state pension scheme.

Work in special conditions means work related to risk factors which with age are very likely to cause permanent health damage, is performed in special working conditions determined by the forces of nature or technological processes that, despite the application of technical, organisational and medical prevention measures, make the worker face requirements beyond their capacity due to the process of ageing before reaching the state pension age, to a degree that makes it difficult for them to continue to work on the current position.

Such work includes e.g.

• Work directly at operating blast furnaces and steel or foundry furnaces.
• Work at operating cranes directly in pig iron or non-ferrous metal smelting.
• Work on offshore drilling platforms.
• Work performed by cabin crew on aircraft in flight.
• Work inside tankers, boilers and tanks of very small capacity after dangerous substances.

Work of a special character means work that requires special responsibility and special medical fitness, the safe performance of which, in a manner that does not endanger public safety, including the life or health of other people, is affected before reaching the state pension age due to the ageing-related deterioration of medical fitness.

Such work includes e.g.

• Work of aircraft pilots (a pilot, an instructor).
• Work of air traffic controllers.
• Work of bus, trolleybus or tram drivers in public transport.
• Work of nuclear reactor operators.
• Work of paramedics.