“The Chairman of the Competition and Consumer Protection Office, Tomasz Chróstny, has initiated 10 cases against companies that do not pay their suppliers on time. The Committee calls for immediate improvement of the payment culture for contractors,” the Competition and Consumer Protection Office said in a statement on Monday.
The case concerns the companies: Coca Cola HBC Polska, Delpharm Poznań, DOZ SA Direct sp.k., Emerlog, Mahle Behr Ostrów Wielkopolski, Padma, Przedsiębiorstwo Budowlane GRANIT, Suder & Suder, Teva Pharmaceuticals Polska, Track Tec Koltram.
The process was preceded by so-called soft speeches. The aim was to alert companies to any irregularities in their payment practices and discipline them to correct them immediately.
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Payment delays hit SMEs
– Late payments by large contractors disrupt the financial liquidity of SME companies, destabilise their operations and limit investment and development. Therefore, it is unacceptable for large companies to fail to pay their small contractors on time. All the more so when we speak softly, we inform entrepreneurs that failure to improve their payment discipline may result in legal proceedings and, consequently, a financial penalty – said the Chairman of the Competition and Consumer Protection Office Tomasz Chróstny, quoted in the statement.
Representatives of the office stressed that the Chairman of the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection will calculate fines for entrepreneurs based on the Law on Combating Excessive Delays in the Fulfillment of Monetary Benefits, as amended in 2022. “It will take into account not only the amount of late payments and the duration of the delays, but also the severity and circumstances of the violation, the actions taken by the entrepreneur on his own initiative to prevent the violation, and cooperation with the Office in the course of the proceedings,” the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection said.
Payment delays are particularly painful for micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who cover their liabilities with current capital, the office highlighted.
