August 1980 – one of several months that left the greatest mark on the history of the Polish People's Republic. It went down in history because of the strikes, which ended with the conclusion of four agreements.
Gate No. 2 of the Gdańsk Shipyard in August 1980, photo: Wikipedia
The first strikes took place in Świdnik and Lublin in mid-July (events known as Lublin July), and the first protest stoppages in the region took place in the spring of 1980. As a result of the events in Lublin, strikes began to spread to the surrounding regions, and eventually occurred in a number of cities throughout the country. However, the most important strike was started by the Free Trade Unions of the Coast on August 14 in the Gdańsk Shipyard (demands included reinstatement of Anna Walentynowicz, wage increases, and the construction of a monument to the victims of December 1970), which was joined by delegations from striking factories from other cities.
August 14
Jerzy Borowczak, Bogdan Felski and Ludwik Prądzyński, led by Bogdan Borusewicz, called a strike in the early morning hours at the Gdańsk Lenin Shipyard. At that time, work was suspended by departments K-1, K-3, C-5 and the engine departments. By noon, the strike had affected almost the entire staff of the plant. The workers at the rally they organized demand:
the reinstatement of Anna Walentynowicz and Lech Wałęsa,
the erection of a monument to the victims of December 1970,
guaranteeing the safety of the strikers,
a pay rise of 2 thousand złoty,
a price and family allowance corresponding to the benefits of officers of the Citizens' Militia and Security Service.
Lech Wałęsa arrives at the striking shipyard and takes the lead of the strike, which takes on an occupational character. The government news agency Interpress denies the existence of the strike.
In August 1980, a 15-month period of relative freedom was born in the communist state and a workers' movement was created, a social movement that soon transformed into the 10 million-strong NSZZ Solidarność. The period of freedom for Poles ended with martial law in the years 1981-1983. August 1980 was the impulse for systemic changes that ultimately led to the fall of the Polish People's Republic and other people's democracies from the Eastern Bloc, Poland regaining its sovereignty and the creation of the Third Polish Republic.
According to the MSW report delivered to Stanisław Kania on 30th of August 700 plants and over 700 thousand employees went on strike in 28 provinces, including public transport in 13 cities.
source – Wikipedia
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