HR hurdles over reservist call?

This was the first time in seven years that the National Defence Ministry has called in the reserve army.

However, many of the men who were asked to drop everything and report to their station “immediately” fear that they will not have a job once they return.

Authorities also say that many of the employers do not know what to do in such a situation when an employee just leaves, without any clear indication when he will come back to work.

According to experts, the law is very clear on the subject. In the period between the receipt of the call and the commencement of military duty, a worker cannot be fired, said Romuald Kędzierski, a lawyer from the Koksztys law office, told Polish Radio.

However, the lawyer noted that this only applies to people with a permanent, full-time work contract.

“An employee who is employed under a [full-time] employment contract, and called for military exercises, retains most of the rights within the employment contract,” Kędzierski said.

This means that the military duty is not treated as days off work, and reduced from the yearly total, but is considered as increased work experience, the lawyer explained.

Employees on part-time or freelance contracts do not enjoy the same privileges and their situation could be much murkier, from a legal standpoint, Kędzierski said. (rg)