Ogólnopolska Ustawa o ubezpieczeniu na wypadek bezrobocia z 18 lipca 1924 roku, jej nowelizacje i funkcjonowanie na terenie województwa śląskiego (1924-1939)

Abstract

Unemployment insurance introduced in Poland (also in the territory of an autonomous Silesian voivodship) by the legislation of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland from 18 July 1924 was the first social insurance in the history directed at the unemployed. Firstly it concerned only the blue collar workers and subsequently also the white collar ones. The role of such an insurance for the Silesian voivodship was big (the article discusses only the unemployment insurance for blue collar workers in Polish Silesia because the unemployment of intelligentsia did not reach big numbers, even at the time of a big economic crisis), much bigger than in other districts of Poland due to the industrial nature of the voivodship. Here only 13% of the society lived by farming, foresting and gardening, the rest by the industry, trade and different types of services. The industrial working class as such in the Upper-Silesian part of the voivodship constituted over 72 % of blue collar workers. In Polish Silesia the unemployment in the interwar period was permanent. At the time of a big economic crisis about a half of the unemployed in the whole country was in the Silesian voivodship (over 100 thousands). The article, apart from a legislative insurance of the blue collar workers from unemployment (i.e. the principles included in the legislation from 18 July 1924 and its few amendments by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, as well as other changes introduced by the resolutions of the President and the Ministry of Work and Welfare also presents the data concerning the number of people receiving this form of benefits in the Silesian voivodship and its amount between 1924 and 1928. The very considerations indicate that the very form of the legislation support fulfilled its function in the period of the economic situation when the unemployment level was low. At the time of the big economic crisis, on the other hand, when the unemployment was massive, the number of the unemployed receiving the benefits and their amount decreased. What increased, however, was the role of support from the welfare and charity activity. The legislation of the unemployment insurance in the Silesian voivodship is discussed in this article as an example of the unifying actions of the country. It was the only type of insurance which was not supervised by the Silesian Sejm, but the central authorities which financed this insurance in 50% (the rest of the money came from the employers and workers, the Treasure of the Silesian Sejm did not pay anything). Legal regulations of this insurance were created in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and were also changed by the central institutions.