Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has brought charges against retail giant Jeronimo Martins Polska, owner of the Biedronka supermarket chain, and 32 transportation companies, alleging a secret pact to limit competition for drivers—a form of labor market collusion known as a “no-poach” agreement.
UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny announced that the authority has also initiated proceedings against eight managers and company owners, suspected of directly participating in or overseeing the anti-competitive arrangement.
According to UOKiK, the agreement may have restricted drivers’ ability to switch employers within the network of transportation firms servicing Biedronka’s distribution centers. The alleged objective was to prevent wage competition and reduce staff turnover by blocking drivers from being hired by rival firms, even if they met all the qualifications.
In one illustrative case, a driver reportedly left his job due to stagnant wages and attempted to join another carrier operating at the same Biedronka center. Despite his experience, his application was allegedly rejected due to an unwritten agreement between companies, leaving him unemployed for several months.
“We suspect that transportation companies and Jeronimo Martins Polska concluded an agreement aimed at restricting drivers from moving between firms servicing Biedronka distribution centers,” said Chróstny. “Such practices not only violate competition law but are also unacceptable from a human perspective. Every individual should have the right to freely choose and change their workplace.”
According to the investigation, the arrangement may have involved centralized coordination by Biedronka, which allegedly oversaw and enforced the agreement across its logistics network. Companies may have agreed on a “cooling-off” period—often three months—during which drivers leaving one firm could not be hired by another within the same network, effectively limiting their mobility and earning potential.
So-called “no-poach agreements” are illegal under Polish and EU competition law, as they directly affect key elements of employer competition, such as wage levels and employee mobility. Such pacts can suppress salaries or prevent them from rising in a competitive labor market.
The case reflects growing international attention to antitrust violations in labor markets, where collusion can harm workers just as price-fixing harms consumers.
Companies found guilty of participating in such anti-competitive agreements face fines of up to 10% of their annual turnover, while individuals responsible may face personal penalties of up to PLN 2 million (approx. €460,000).
