Tusk names Liwiusz Laska as ZUS president after first-ever staff strike
Prime Minister Donald Tusk appointed Liwiusz Laska as the new president of Poland's Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) on 1 July, replacing Zbigniew Derdziuk, who stepped down due to a serious illness. The change comes weeks after the first warning strike in the institution's history.
Appointment
On 1 July, Prime Minister Donald Tusk appointed Liwiusz Laska as president of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). He replaces Zbigniew Derdziuk, who was dismissed due to a serious illness. Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk handed over the appointment decree and thanked Derdziuk for his work as well as staff for maintaining continuity during recent difficult months.
Profile of the new president
Laska (born 1976) is a lawyer specialising in labour, administrative and electoral law. He studied law and international relations at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and holds an LL.M. from the University of Kiel as well as a doctorate in legal sciences. He previously chaired ZUS's supervisory board and served as director general at the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. He was also deputy head of the Labour Law Codification Commission and a member of the National Electoral Commission.
I do not plan a revolution; many things work excellently. There are, however, substantial backlogs in the area of salaries.
Strike and wage tensions
The appointment comes just weeks after the first-ever warning strike in ZUS history. On 17 June, around 26,200 out of 36,000 workers stopped work for two hours, a turnout of nearly 73 percent. They demanded a gross pay rise of 1,200 zlotys per full-time post and changes to work organisation. The union also called for limits on overtime and a resumption of ethics and anti-mobbing training. ZUS management had argued only a 3 percent increase (matching the wider public sector) was possible.
- First-ever warning strike at ZUS, 73% of workforce participates, demanding 1,200 zloty pay rise.
- Prime Minister Tusk dismisses Zbigniew Derdziuk as ZUS president due to serious illness.
- Liwiusz Laska appointed new ZUS president, decree handed by Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk.
Challenges ahead
Laska acknowledged the budgetary constraints but said he wanted "a new opening in social dialogue and an agreement." The minister also flagged upcoming technical projects, including data exchange between the National Labour Inspectorate, the National Revenue Administration and ZUS. Laska's priorities will include steering the institution through a tense industrial relations climate while advancing digital integration among state agencies.
