Commentary to the Supreme Court resolution of 20 september 2018, I KZP 5/18

The Supreme Court, in the ruling which is subject to this commentary, addresses the notion of an employee referred to in Article 218 § 1a of the Criminal Code. The court discussed the issue of the designation and limits of the notion of “employee” and the subject-matter of protection of the provision referred to above along with its scope. The commentator – in this context – analyses the Supreme Court’s thinking. The commentary’s author agrees in most part with the belief that “the scope of Article 218 § 1a CrC covers only persons who are employees within the meaning of Article 2 LC and Article 22 § 1 and § 11 LC”, though he deems it incomplete as one also needs to take into account Article 8(2a) of the act on social insurance, where – with regard to social insurance – the notion of an employee is slightly broader than the one included in the provisions of the Labour Code. The commentator believes it legitimate that the subject-matter of protection of Article 218 § 1a CrC includes all employee rights resulting from an employment or social insurance relationship. The commentator shares the de lege ferenda postulate for the “protection under Article 218 § 1a CrC to include also persons in employment relationships other that a contract of employment” and, which the Court did not address in the discussed resolution, the civil law relationship referred to in Article 8(2a) of the Social Insurance Act.