Does the PIP examine anonymous complaints?
Short answer
Do not count on an anonymous complaint. The Council of Ministers regulation of 2002 requires complaints without a first name, surname and address to be left unexamined (§ 8(1)). The National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) says that it examines anonymous complaints "only in exceptional cases" and does not publish what those cases are. It is safer to file a complaint with your details. The inspector may not disclose to the employer that the inspection results from a complaint, unless you agree to this in writing (Article 44(3) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate).
In this guide: The PIP examines anonymous complaints only in exceptional cases. How they differ from a signed complaint, whose content the inspector keeps from the employer.
Who this applies to
This guide is for a person who wants to report irregularities at an employer but is afraid of being identified. It applies to employees, contractors and people working on another basis, as well as former employees.
What to do
- Distinguish two things. Anonymity towards the PIP means that the inspectorate does not know who you are. Protection of identity means that the PIP knows who you are but does not pass this on to the employer. The law protects mainly the second situation.
- File a signed complaint. Give your first name, surname and address. We describe the ways of filing in the guide How do you file a complaint to the National Labour Inspectorate?
- State plainly that you do not consent to disclosure. The law does not require this, because the protection applies without your request, but a clear sentence in the complaint makes things easier. For example: "I do not consent to the disclosure to the employer of the fact that a complaint was filed or of my personal data".
- Describe the problem so that it does not point directly to you. If possible, describe a violation affecting a larger group, not only your individual situation. Remember, however, that according to the PIP an employee complaint should concern a violation that directly affects the complainant.
- If you still send an anonymous letter, be specific: the employer's name and address, the workplace, the type of violations and since when they have been happening. Be prepared for the letter to be left unexamined and for you to receive no reply.
- Consider getting advice first. You can ask about your situation by phone without giving the employer's details. See How do you get free legal advice from the PIP?
Exceptions and caveats
- Legality of employment. According to the PIP, there are inspections in which, because of their subject (e.g. legality of employment), the inspector must disclose that a complaint was filed. The inspector then asks the complainant for consent in writing. Without consent, an inspection covering the complaint will not be possible.
- Witness during an inspection. If you give information to the inspector as an employee and fear harm, the inspector may decide to keep confidential the data that would allow you to be identified (Article 23(2) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). This is a separate protection from the protection of the complainant.
- The employer may guess. The Act prohibits disclosing that an inspection results from a complaint. That does not change the fact that in a small team the employer may guess. Protection is then given by Article 225 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (KPA): no one may suffer any harm or reproach because of filing a complaint, if they acted within the limits of the law.
- Written advice without personal data. Some District Labour Inspectorates (OIP) state openly that anonymous letters asking for advice will not be examined (e.g. the website of the OIP in Kraków).
- Criteria for "exceptional cases". The PIP does not publish them. We do not know when an anonymous complaint will be examined, and we do not promise that it will be.
Example
Assumptions: a warehouse employee sees that several people operate forklift trucks without health and safety (BHP) training. He has had the training himself. He is afraid that the manager will link the complaint to him.
The employee considers an anonymous letter, but he knows that the PIP examines anonymous complaints only exceptionally. So he files a signed complaint with his address and adds that he does not consent to the employer being told that a complaint was filed. He describes the problem as concerning the warehouse shift, gives the address of the site and the type of work. If the matter concerned legality of employment and the inspector asked for consent to disclosure, the employee would decide himself whether to give it.
Documents and deadlines
| Situation | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Complaint without first name, surname and address | is left unexamined (§ 8(1) of the 2002 regulation) |
| PIP practice regarding anonymous complaints | examines them "only in exceptional cases" (PIP website) |
| Signed complaint | the inspector does not disclose that the inspection results from a complaint without your written consent (Article 44(3) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate) |
| Unclear subject of the complaint | the authority may ask you to supplement it within 7 days (§ 8(2) of the regulation) |
Frequently asked questions
Can I give only an email address instead of a postal address?
According to the PIP, an employee complaint contains the first name, surname and address of the person filing it. An email address alone is not enough.
Will the inspector show my complaint to the employer?
The Act obliges the inspector not to disclose that the inspection results from a complaint, unless you agree to this in writing. Details: Will the employer find out who filed a complaint with the PIP?
Can I file a complaint on behalf of a colleague so that he stays in the background?
A complaint on behalf of another person requires that person's written consent, which must be attached. So that person does not remain anonymous towards the PIP.
Useful tools
Related guides
- Will the employer find out who filed a complaint with the PIP?
- How do you file a complaint to the National Labour Inspectorate?
- How do you get free legal advice from the PIP?
Sources (documents in Polish)
- PIP, Jak złożyć skargę?
- Rozporządzenie RM z 8.01.2002 w sprawie skarg i wniosków, Dz.U. 2002 nr 5 poz. 46
- Ustawa o Państwowej Inspekcji Pracy, tekst ujednolicony ISAP
- Kodeks postępowania administracyjnego, tekst ujednolicony ISAP
- OIP w Krakowie, Uzyskaj poradę
Sources checked on 15 October 2026. Law as at 15 October 2026.
Change history
- 15 October 2026: First publication.
This guide is for information only. The current legal provisions and the information of the National Labour Inspectorate apply. An independent information website. We are not the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy).