UOKiK: PLN 525 million fine for Biedronka owner over driver no-poach agreement

Carriers serving the chain’s distribution centers did not compete for drivers for nearly seven years, and the arrangement was coordinated by Jeronimo Martins Polska. The decision shows that the client that organizes such a “we don’t poach each other’s people” agreement is also responsible for it.

The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) announced fines totaling PLN 571,960,550 on 14 September 2026. The highest one, PLN 525,535,050, was imposed on Jeronimo Martins Polska, the owner of Biedronka. The remaining approximately PLN 46.4 million is attributed to 29 transport companies and eight natural persons: owners, partners and managers. The case was described, among others, by RMF24, Wirtualne Media and 300Gospodarka based on the office’s statement.

According to UOKiK, the collusion lasted from June 2017 until at least February 2024, when the office carried out a dawn raid. A driver who wanted to move to another carrier at the same distribution center needed the consent of their current employer. Without it, they were subject to a several-month waiting period during which they could not work there for the new company. The practice affected the employment conditions of several thousand drivers.

The office considered Jeronimo Martins Polska to be the organizer of the agreement. The company was supposed to enforce the arrangements, act as an intermediary in the exchange of information and deny access to the centers to drivers who changed jobs in breach of the rules. The benefit was said to be indirect: less pressure on drivers’ wages reduced pressure on carriers’ rates. According to 300Gospodarka, the decision was reviewed by the European Commission, which agreed with the office’s assessment.

Biedronka’s press office did not comment on the decision. It did, however, criticize its announcement before it had been served on the parties. One of the carriers, Kazimierz Olszański’s company, made use of the leniency program. However, it filed the application only after the proceedings had been initiated, so it did not avoid the fine entirely and instead had it reduced by half, to more than PLN 166.6 thousand. The decision is not final; it may be appealed to the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection.

In June 2026, UOKiK initiated similar proceedings against Dino Polska and four transport companies. Bringing charges does not yet mean that a violation of the law has been found. Participation in collusion is punishable by a fine of up to 10 percent of turnover, and managers may be fined up to PLN 2 million. For companies using subcontractors, this means that agreements not to hire other companies’ employees are a legal risk for the client as well.