Jastrzebie-Zdrój 1980 strikes
Encyclopedia
The Jastrzębie-Zdrój 1980 strikes were widespread strikes, which took place mostly in the Upper Silesia
n mining city of Jastrzębie-Zdrój and its surroundings, in late August and early September of 1980. They forced the Government of People's Republic of Poland
to sign the last of three agreements establishing the Solidarity trade union. Earlier, agreements had been signed in Gdańsk
and Szczecin
. The Jastrzębie Agreement, signed on September 3, 1980, ended Saturday and Sunday work for miners, a concession that Government leaders later said cut deeply into Poland's export earnings.
began a strike, demanding not only increase in salaries, but also rehiring of Anna Walentynowicz
and Lech Wałęsa
, as well as the according of respect to workers' rights and other social concerns. Furthermore, they called for the legalization of independent trade unions. A Strike Committee, led by Wałęsa, was organized and the workers did not leave the shipyard, deciding to stay there for the night. Later, on the Strike Committee was turned into the City Strike Committee, also headed by Wałęsa.
In the following days, the strike spread to a growing number of factories all over the country, with numerous Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
s (MKS) created in Szczecin
, Wrocław, Wałbrzych, and other cities. By the end of August 1980, the protests reached Upper Silesian coal mines. The center of the protests in Upper Silesia was the Manifest Lipcowy (now Zofiowka) Coal Mine in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, where the strike broke out on August 28. In August 1980, this mine employed some 10,000 people.
The strike in the Manifest Lipcowy mine was directly connected with catastrophic situation of the miners and poor working conditions. As the strikers recollected in 2008, at the beginning, few of them thought about politics. They complained about lack of gloves, work boots and basic tools. They also claim that the strike could have been broken on the second day, had it not been for their wives and children, since units of the ZOMO
surrounded the mine, and did not let anybody in and out. Only children with food parcels were allowed to come close to the fence. “Their support was like a shot of adrenaline to us, we knew that we were not alone” - recollected a miner 28 years later. A few hours after the Manifest Lipcowy mine, the XXX-lecia PRL mine also began the strike.
Since all mass-media were firmly controlled by the government, the workers of the Manifest Lipcowy mine turned for help to a local Roman Catholic church. Their delegation came to the church on August 29, at 6:30 in the morning, and asked the parish priest, Rev. Bernard Czernecki, to inform the faithful about the protest. Czernecki, as well as all local priests, agreed, and during Mass, they told all worshipers about the strike, promising all the help they needed. Also, the priests handed leaders of the strike their rosaries
. These can be seen in archival photos of the Jastrzębie Agreement negotiations, as workers wore them on their necks.
Their demands included abolition of the four-shift work system in the mining industry as "detrimental to the family" and the introduction of Saturdays and Sundays off. The demand to establish free trade unions, based on the 21 demands of MKS
, was also added and Stefan Palka became the leader of the protest. However, Jastrzębie's workers added to the Gdańsk demands several specific issues associated with the situation in the mining industry.
Apart from the mines mentioned above, several other companies joined the strike - The Enterprise of Mining Works, Voivodeship
’s Communications Authority, Communal Services, local mail offices
, as well as teachers from city’s schools. According to Jarosław Neja, a historian from the Institute of National Remembrance
, in late August and early September of 1980, 272 Upper Silesian factories went on strike, with around 900 000 employees. First strike in that area took place in the FAZOS company in Tarnowskie Góry
on August 21, 1980 and lasted for three days.
Talks with the government were very heated and lasted fifteen hours. Finally, the Jastrzębie Agreement, the third of the 1980 agreements between Polish workers and the government, was signed on September 3, at 5:40 am. Furthermore, agreements were signed in other striking centers of Upper Silesia and Zagłębie - Small Car Producer (now Fiat Auto Poland) in Tychy
, Katowice Steel Mill in Dąbrowa Górnicza
, in Bytom, Siemianowice Śląskie
, and Tarnowskie Góry. Therefore, six independent Inter-Enterprise Founding Committees were created in the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie region, they were united in July 1981.
The Jastrzębie Agreement was the last of three agreements establishing the independent Solidarity trade union, with earlier ones having been signed in Gdańsk and Szczecin. Apart from creation of Solidarity, it ended all Saturday and Sunday work for miners. The three agreements collectively were called the “new social contract”. Known collectively as the Gdańsk Accords, they contained a number of state concessions, including the formation of independent trade unions, wage increases, increase in the meat supply and increased access to the mass media by both Solidarity and the Catholic Church.
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
n mining city of Jastrzębie-Zdrój and its surroundings, in late August and early September of 1980. They forced the Government of People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
to sign the last of three agreements establishing the Solidarity trade union. Earlier, agreements had been signed in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
. The Jastrzębie Agreement, signed on September 3, 1980, ended Saturday and Sunday work for miners, a concession that Government leaders later said cut deeply into Poland's export earnings.
Background
On August 14, 1980, workers of the Vladimir Lenin Shipyard in GdańskGdansk Shipyard
Gdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...
began a strike, demanding not only increase in salaries, but also rehiring of Anna Walentynowicz
Anna Walentynowicz
Anna Walentynowicz was a Polish free trade union activist. Her firing in August 1980 was the event that ignited the strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk that very quickly paralyzed the Baltic coast and a giant wave of strikes in Poland...
and Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
, as well as the according of respect to workers' rights and other social concerns. Furthermore, they called for the legalization of independent trade unions. A Strike Committee, led by Wałęsa, was organized and the workers did not leave the shipyard, deciding to stay there for the night. Later, on the Strike Committee was turned into the City Strike Committee, also headed by Wałęsa.
In the following days, the strike spread to a growing number of factories all over the country, with numerous Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee was an action strike committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard, People's Republic of Poland on 16 August 1980...
s (MKS) created in Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
, Wrocław, Wałbrzych, and other cities. By the end of August 1980, the protests reached Upper Silesian coal mines. The center of the protests in Upper Silesia was the Manifest Lipcowy (now Zofiowka) Coal Mine in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, where the strike broke out on August 28. In August 1980, this mine employed some 10,000 people.
The strikes in Upper Silesia
The strike in Jastrzębie began when 1,000 of the staff of the Manifest Lipcowy mine did not begin the night shift, spurred by the news from Gdańsk, conveyed to them by Stefan Palka, future leader of the strike. According to the witnesses, right before going under the ground, someone in the crowd yelled: “Other mines in the area are already striking, what are we waiting for?”. The information was untrue, but the strike nevertheless began. Within the next hours, a Strike Committee was elected, headed by Palka. It demanded talks with director of the mine, Władysław Duda. The "arrogant" Duda agreed, but during negotiations, he started insulting the workers, which heated up the situation. Therefore, he was asked to leave and talks were terminated.The strike in the Manifest Lipcowy mine was directly connected with catastrophic situation of the miners and poor working conditions. As the strikers recollected in 2008, at the beginning, few of them thought about politics. They complained about lack of gloves, work boots and basic tools. They also claim that the strike could have been broken on the second day, had it not been for their wives and children, since units of the ZOMO
ZOMO
Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej , were paramilitary-police formations during the Communist Era, in the People's Republic of Poland...
surrounded the mine, and did not let anybody in and out. Only children with food parcels were allowed to come close to the fence. “Their support was like a shot of adrenaline to us, we knew that we were not alone” - recollected a miner 28 years later. A few hours after the Manifest Lipcowy mine, the XXX-lecia PRL mine also began the strike.
Since all mass-media were firmly controlled by the government, the workers of the Manifest Lipcowy mine turned for help to a local Roman Catholic church. Their delegation came to the church on August 29, at 6:30 in the morning, and asked the parish priest, Rev. Bernard Czernecki, to inform the faithful about the protest. Czernecki, as well as all local priests, agreed, and during Mass, they told all worshipers about the strike, promising all the help they needed. Also, the priests handed leaders of the strike their rosaries
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
. These can be seen in archival photos of the Jastrzębie Agreement negotiations, as workers wore them on their necks.
Interfactory Strike Committee
The next morning, a mixed, government-party delegation came to the mine and tried to convince the workers that the strike was senseless. The talks were fruitless, and in the meantime, further local factories joined the protest. On August 30, the first Upper Silesian Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee was created, initially with 20 members, based in the Manifest Lipcowy mine. By September 2, the Committee gathered more than fifty striking factories, including, among others, such companies, as:- Manifest Lipcowy coal mine in Jastrzębie,
- Borynia coal mine in Jastrzębie, Mszana, Swierklany and Pawlowice,
- Jastrzębie coal mine in Jastrzębie,
- Moszczenica coal mine in Jastrzębie - Moszczenica,
- ZMP coal mine in ŻoryZoryŻory is a town and city county in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland with 62,625 inhabitants . Previously it was in Katowice Voivodeship . It is located in the historic Upper Silesia region about southwest of Katowice.- History :...
- Roja, - Suszec coal mine in SuszecSuszecSuszec is a village in Pszczyna County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Suszec...
, - XXX-lecia PRL coal mine in Pawlowice Slaskie
- Rymer coal mine in RybnikRybnikRybnik is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. Rybnik is located close to the border with the Czech Republic and just outside the southern border of the largest urban area in Poland, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union...
-Niedobczyce, - Anna coal mine in Rydułtowy,
- 1 Maja coal mine in Wodzisław Śląski - Wilchwy,
- Boleslaw Smialy coal mine in Łaziska Górne,
- Marcel coal mine in RadlinRadlinRadlin is a town in Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 17,656 inhabitants .- Sport :* Górnik Radlin - men's volleyball team playing in Polish Volleyball League .- External links :*...
, - Wujek coal mine in KatowiceKatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, - Julian coal mine in Piekary ŚląskiePiekary SlaskiePiekary Śląskie is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The north district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 million...
, - Rydultowy coal mine in Rydultowy,
- Piast coal mine in BieruńBierunBieruń is a town in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland, about south of Katowice. The town belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously to Katowice Voivodeship and, before World War II, was part of the Polish Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship.-Geography:It is located...
, - Kaczyce coal mine in KaczyceKaczyce, Silesian Voivodeshipis a village in Gmina Zebrzydowice, Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the border with the Czech Republic. It has a population of 3,008 . It lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia, on the Olza River....
, - Slask coal mine in Ruda ŚląskaRuda SlaskaRuda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....
- Kochlowice, - Janina coal mine in LibiążLibiazLibiąż is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 17,671 inhabitants ....
, - Staszic coal mine in KatowiceKatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
- Giszowiec, - Polska coal mine in Świętochłowice - Zgoda,
- Wieczorek coal mine in Katowice - Janow,
- Halemba coal mine in Ruda Slaska - Halemba,
- Zabrze coal mine in ZabrzeZabrzeZabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
- Bielszowice, - Katowice coal mine in Katowice - Bogucice,
- Brzeszcze coal mine in BrzeszczeBrzeszczeBrzeszcze is a town in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, near Oświęcim.It was founded in the 15th century and was owned by many rich Polish citizens, such as Dominik Gherri, the physician of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. The inhabitants were mainly fishermen and...
and Czechowice-DziedziceCzechowice-DziedziceCzechowice-Dziedzice is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 34,867 inhabitants . It lies on the northeastern edge of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia...
, - Pokoj coal mine in Ruda Slaska - Nowy Bytom,
- Nowy Wirek coal mine in Ruda Slaska - Kochlowice.
Their demands included abolition of the four-shift work system in the mining industry as "detrimental to the family" and the introduction of Saturdays and Sundays off. The demand to establish free trade unions, based on the 21 demands of MKS
21 demands of MKS
21 demands of MKS were a list of demands issued on 17 August 1980 by the Interfactory Strike Committee . The first demand was the right to create independent trade unions...
, was also added and Stefan Palka became the leader of the protest. However, Jastrzębie's workers added to the Gdańsk demands several specific issues associated with the situation in the mining industry.
Apart from the mines mentioned above, several other companies joined the strike - The Enterprise of Mining Works, Voivodeship
Voivodeship
Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....
’s Communications Authority, Communal Services, local mail offices
Poczta Polska
Poczta Polska is the Polish public post service.- History :Before the postal system was established, correspondence was delivered by messengers. In the Middle Ages, such services were available only to the privileged classes - monarchs, rich merchants and some of the organised communities, like...
, as well as teachers from city’s schools. According to Jarosław Neja, a historian from the Institute of National Remembrance
Institute of National Remembrance
Institute of National Remembrance — Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation is a Polish government-affiliated research institute with lustration prerogatives and prosecution powers founded by specific legislation. It specialises in the legal and historical sciences and...
, in late August and early September of 1980, 272 Upper Silesian factories went on strike, with around 900 000 employees. First strike in that area took place in the FAZOS company in Tarnowskie Góry
Tarnowskie Góry
Tarnowskie Góry is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands....
on August 21, 1980 and lasted for three days.
Negotiations and agreement
The negotiations started on September 2, 1980. Delegation of the government was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Kopec (who later signed the agreement), the strikers were headed by Jarosław Sienkiewicz, chairman of the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee. Workers of the Manifest Lipcowy mine recollect that in early days of September they doubted achieving a success, as a few days earlier, strikers in Gdańsk and Szczecin had signed their agreements and the miners were left alone. “We wanted our protest to be highlighted in the mass-media, especially TV, but we were ignored” - said Leopold Sobczyński of the Manifest Lipcowy mine.Talks with the government were very heated and lasted fifteen hours. Finally, the Jastrzębie Agreement, the third of the 1980 agreements between Polish workers and the government, was signed on September 3, at 5:40 am. Furthermore, agreements were signed in other striking centers of Upper Silesia and Zagłębie - Small Car Producer (now Fiat Auto Poland) in Tychy
Tychy
Tychy is a city in Silesia, Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city borders Katowice to the north, Mikołów to the west, Bieruń to the east and Kobiór to the south...
, Katowice Steel Mill in Dąbrowa Górnicza
Dabrowa Górnicza
Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, nearby Katowice. The north-east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of almost 3 millions...
, in Bytom, Siemianowice Śląskie
Siemianowice Slaskie
Siemianowice Śląskie aka Siemianowice ; is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions...
, and Tarnowskie Góry. Therefore, six independent Inter-Enterprise Founding Committees were created in the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie region, they were united in July 1981.
The Jastrzębie Agreement was the last of three agreements establishing the independent Solidarity trade union, with earlier ones having been signed in Gdańsk and Szczecin. Apart from creation of Solidarity, it ended all Saturday and Sunday work for miners. The three agreements collectively were called the “new social contract”. Known collectively as the Gdańsk Accords, they contained a number of state concessions, including the formation of independent trade unions, wage increases, increase in the meat supply and increased access to the mass media by both Solidarity and the Catholic Church.
See also
- Lublin 1980 strikesLublin 1980 strikesThe Lublin 1980 strikes were the series of workers’ strikes in the area of the eastern city of Lublin , demanding better salaries and lower prices of food products. They began on July 8, 1980, at the State Aviation Works in Świdnik, a town located on the outskirts of Lublin...
- Summer 1981 hunger demonstrations in PolandSummer 1981 hunger demonstrations in PolandIn mid-1981, amid widespread economic crisis and food shortages, thousands of Poles, mainly women and their children, took part in several hunger demonstrations, organized in cities and towns across the country. The protests were peaceful, without rioting, and the biggest one took place on July 30,...
- 1981 warning strike in Poland1981 warning strike in PolandIn the early spring of 1981, the quickly growing Solidarity movement faced one of the biggest challenges in its short history, when during the Bydgoszcz events, several members of Solidarity, including Jan Rulewski, Mariusz Łabentowicz and Roman Bartoszcze, were brutally "pacified" by the...
- 1988 Polish strikes1988 Polish strikesThe 1988 Polish strikes were a massive wave of workers' strikes which broke out in 1988 in the People’s Republic of Poland. The strikes, as well as street demonstrations, continued throughout spring and summer, ending in early September 1988. These actions shook the Communist regime of the country...