Poland's richest will pay to support the needy, including people with disability, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawecki said on Friday, amid a three-day protest for higher disability pensions.

After meeting protesters – mainly parents who care for their disabled adult children who have been occupying a hallway in Warsaw's parliament building since Wednesday – Morawiecki said he would propose a slight tax hike for Poland's richest which would support Poland's most needy people.

"This way we will create a special fund for people with disabilities," he added, saying that the plan would be "mapped out in detail" by mid-May.

But the protesting parents said mid-May was not soon enough and called for an emergency session of parliament dedicated to their concerns to be held on Saturday.

The protesters have been demanding that disability payouts be raised to equal the minimum monthly unemployment benefit in Poland, which stands at around PLN 1,000 (EUR 240), and for an extra handout of PLN 500 per month for disabled adults who cannot care for themselves.

They were also demanding a meeting with either Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki or the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, Jarosław Kaczyński, declining an invitation to talk to the social policy minister.

They spoke to the president of Poland earlier on Friday who promised a bill would be drawn up meeting all of their demands. (vb)

Source: PAP, IAR