Karol Nawrocki and Piotr Duda award 21 laureates at Worker-Friendly Employer gala

Award ceremony at the Presidential Palace

On Wednesday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and NSZZ Solidarność Chairman Piotr Duda hosted the 18th edition of the Worker-Friendly Employer gala in the Columned Hall of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. The annual competition recognizes enterprises that maintain constructive social dialogue, uphold labour standards, and foster stable workplace environments. The certification committee, chaired by Grzegorz Adamowicz alongside Presidential Chancellery representative Paweł Zanin, evaluated 34 formal candidacies submitted for this edition. Statuettes and certificates were presented to 21 selected companies and institutions. Chief Labour Inspector Janusz Krasoń attended the ceremony alongside trade union leaders and business representatives. Duda pointed out that the awards remain entirely independent of political influence.

The award cannot be bought, and politicians do not interfere with it.

Economic growth and G20 participation

During his address to the laureates, Nawrocki linked domestic workplace cooperation directly to the country's broader macroeconomic performance. He stated that the Polish economy has surpassed the value of one trillion dollars, ranking the country 20th in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product. Nawrocki announced that this economic expansion enables him to attend the Group of 20 summit in December 2026, marking the first attendance by a Polish head of state in the history of the Third Republic. He attributed this milestone to the combined efforts of courageous entrepreneurs taking financial risks and millions of dedicated workers across the country.

I wanted to thank the chairman, the initiators of the competition, all of you, laureates, employees, and employers for the Polish economic miracle, which did not leave the human being and the worker on the margin and aside.

Heritage of Solidarność and constitutional principles

Nawrocki dedicated a central part of his speech to the historical and ethical principles of the Polish labour movement. He noted that Polish freedom and independence after 1989 originated directly from care for the rights and dignity of workers. He recalled the words of Solidarność activist Anna Walentynowicz, who stated during the movement's founding that fighting for another person means fighting for the dignity of everyone. The president also cited the social encyclicals of Pope John Paul II, emphasizing that labour must not be treated solely as a measure of economic efficiency. Nawrocki explained that these post-1980 movements established the foundation for the social market economy model, which is formally guaranteed under Article 20 of the Polish Constitution.

Institutional dialogue and Presidential Business Council

Nawrocki affirmed that his administration will continue its official patronage over the Worker-Friendly Employer competition in cooperation with NSZZ Solidarność. He emphasized that state support for private enterprises must consistently align with the protection of employee rights. To facilitate this cooperation, the president pointed to the work of the Social Dialogue Council and the Presidential Business Council. These consultative bodies work to assist Polish enterprises in expanding domestically and internationally across European and global markets. Nawrocki concluded that regular consultation between business owners and organized labour remains the primary driver of Poland's continued economic stability.