From Reform to Reality: The Polish Pension System and Socio-economic Justice

In the book From Solidarity to Sellout: The Restoration of Capitalism in Poland, Prof. Tadeusz Kowalik argued that the transformation in Poland resulted in one of the most unjust socio-economic systems in Europe. In this chapter, I examine the changes that have occurred in the Polish pension system after 1999, referring to values such as solidarity and justice. Firstly, I explore the shift from a Defined Benefit (DB) to a Defined Contribution (DC) system, the reduction in the value of future benefits, and the dependence of these benefits on the socio-economic situation of individuals, including life chances, education, occupation, and gender. This includes data analysis from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), comparing the so-called old and new pensions. Secondly, I address the partial privatisation through Open Pension Funds (OFE) and the subsequent retraction from this approach. Thirdly, I discuss the issue of privileged groups within the general system, questioning whether all Poles pay proportional contributions and who benefits from certain exemptions. Finally, I examine the role of the minimum pension as a step against poverty and social exclusion. This chapter addresses the questions of which reforms may indeed support Prof. Kowalik’s thesis and whether any solutions have been introduced to combat inequalities, both at the stage of the accumulation and decumulation of pension capital.