Fair Working Conditions for Workers Providing Informal Care for the Elderly in Poland and in the Netherlands

Abstract

The paper addresses the question how and to what extent EU law instruments (the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Work-Life Balance Directive and the developing European Care Strategy) contribute to creating and/or facilitating fair working conditions for informal carers for the elderly in Poland and in the Netherlands. The analysis revealed that due to the differences in the situations of informal carers (intensity of care provided and the support for informal carers in the social and healthcare sectors) as well the differences in access to formal long-term care, the extent of EU law contributions in each country varies significantly. While in the Netherlands the most necessary actions to be taken are related to gender equality and working conditions of informal carers who mainly work part-time, in Poland the necessary actions cover different and much broader issues related to access to formal long-term care services as well as support and formal recognition of carers.