Krakow court restricts Piątkowska over layoff claims as mayoral run-off nears

Court rulings on city hall layoff claims

The Regional Court in Krakow issued a ruling in fast-track election mode on Wednesday, October 7, prohibiting mayoral candidate Monika Piątkowska from spreading statements that her rival Łukasz Gibała plans mass dismissals in the municipal office. The case followed a two-hour hearing held on Tuesday, October 6, initiated by Gibała's campaign committee. The controversy centered on remarks made during a televised debate on September 22 on TVP Kraków and Radio Kraków, where Piątkowska asserted that Gibała intended to cut 15% to 20% of the municipal workforce.

If we are talking about layoffs at the level of 20-15%, because that is how the councilor communicates it, this is much more than just management; these are simply collective redundancies.

Judge Marzena Stoces agreed with Gibała's legal team, determining that he had proposed an audit of party-affiliated appointments rather than wide-scale redundancies. The court ordered Piątkowska to publish official corrections across social media networks, TVP Kraków, and Radio Kraków. The judge dismissed petitions from Gibała's campaign requesting a formal apology and charitable financial penalties.

The court's decision is satisfactory to me.

Appeals court upholds order against Gibała

Piątkowska's legal representative, Rafał Rozwadowski, stated that her campaign would likely file an interlocutory appeal against Wednesday's decision. At the same time, the Krakow Court of Appeals finalized a separate election-mode ruling directed at Gibała regarding statements made during an RMF FM broadcast. In that interview, Gibała claimed that six councilors from Koalicja Obywatelska, the majority group in the city council, had reached out to express readiness for future cooperation.

Court of Appeals spokesman Judge Tomasz Szymański announced on Wednesday that the appellate panel upheld the initial judgment issued on Friday, October 2. The lower court determined that Gibała failed to substantiate his claim after declining to name the specific councilors. The appellate court adjusted the publication terms, ordering the correction to appear on the RMF 24 website within 24 hours instead of being read on radio airwaves. Gibała's campaign also stated it would file a lawsuit against Minister Radosław Sikorski over statements made at a Piątkowska campaign event.

First-round voting and electoral background

The legal disputes precede the second round of the snap mayoral election on Sunday, October 11. Krakow entered the special election cycle after voters removed former mayor Aleksander Miszalski in a recall referendum held in May.

In the first round of voting on September 28, Gibała led with 36.38% of ballots, while Piątkowska, supported by Poland's governing coalition, placed second with 29.91%. Wednesday's decision follows an earlier ruling on Monday, October 5, where the court ordered Piątkowska to correct statements regarding Gibała's voting record in the Krakow City Council.

Residency dispute and closing campaign arguments

The campaign has also involved personal disputes between the candidates. Media reports indicated that Piątkowska owns a residence in a gated development in Stara Wieś near Nadarzyn, approximately 280 kilometers from Krakow. Piątkowska responded by announcing legal action against journalists for invasion of privacy. Both campaigns are now managing required court corrections and pending appeals ahead of the Sunday vote.