The Upper Silesia 1980 strikes were widespread strikes, which took place mostly in the
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...
n mining cities
Jastrzębie-Zdrój
Jastrzębie-Zdrój (; german: Bad Königsdorff-Jastrzemb, originally ''Jastrzemb'', cs, Lázně Jestřebí, szl, Jastrzymbie-Zdrōj or ''Jastrzymbje-Zdrůj'') is a city in south Poland with 86,632 inhabitants (2021). Its name comes from the Poli ...
,
Wodzisław Śląski
Wodzisław Śląski (; german: Loslau, cs, Vladislav, la, Vladislavia, yi, וואידסלוב, Voydislav, szl, Władźisłůw) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław Cou ...
and
Ruda Śląska
Ruda Śląska (formerly ) 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 two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica Rive ...
and its surroundings, during late August and early September 1980. They forced the Government of
People's Republic of Poland to sign the last of three agreements establishing the
Solidarity trade union
''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
. 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.
Background
On August 14, 1980, workers of the
Vladimir Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk began a strike, demanding not only an increase in salaries, but also rehiring of
Anna Walentynowicz
Anna Walentynowicz (; ; 15 August 1929 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish free trade union activist and co-founder of Solidarity, the first non-communist trade union in the Eastern Bloc. Her firing from her job at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk in Aug ...
and
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democrati ...
, 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 across the country, with numerous
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (or ''Inter-Factory Strike Committee'', pl, Międzyzakładowy Komitet Strajkowy, MKS) was an action strike committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard, People's Republic of Poland on 16 August 1980. It was led by Lech ...
s (MKS) created in
Szczecin,
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
,
Wałbrzych
Wałbrzych (; german: Waldenburg; szl, Wałbrzich; sli, label= Lower Silesian, Walmbrig or ''Walmbrich''; cs, Valbřich or ) is a city located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. From 1975–1998 it was the capital of Wa ...
, 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 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?" This information was false, but the strike nevertheless began. Within the next few hours, a Strike Committee was elected, headed by Palka. It demanded talks with the 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,(please check the year) 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
The Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia ( pl, Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej), commonly known as ZOMO, were paramilitary-police formations during the communist era in Poland. These elite units of Citizens' Militia (MO) were ...
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 was 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
The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...
. 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
Mszana (German: ''Mschanna'') is a village in Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mszana. It lies approximately south-east of Wodzisław Śląski and so ...
,
Świerklany and
Pawłowice,
* ''Jastrzębie'' coal mine in Jastrzębie, Mszana,
* in
Moszczenica, Jastrzębie-Zdrój,
* ''ZMP'' coal mine in
Żory
Żory (; german: Sohrau, szl, Żory) is a town and city county in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland with 62,462 inhabitants (2019). Previously it was in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located in the historic Upper Silesia region about sou ...
-
Rój,
* ''Suszec'' coal mine in
Suszec
Suszec (German ''Sussetz'') is a village in Pszczyna County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Suszec. It lies approximately north-west of Pszczyna and south-west of t ...
,
* ''XXX-lecia PRL'' coal mine in
Pawłowice Śląskie Pawłowice may refer to the following places in Poland:
* Pawłowice (palace)
* Pawłowice, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, (south-west Poland)
* Pawłowice, Łódź Voivodeship, (central Poland)
* Pawłowice, Lublin Voivodeship, (east Poland)
* Pawłow ...
* ''Rymer'' coal mine in
Rybnik
Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; szl, Rybńik) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 miles) from the Czech border. It is ...
-
Niedobczyce
Niedobczyce (german: Niebobschütz) is a district of Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. Between 1955 and 1975 it was an independent town On December 31, 2013 it had about 12,300 inhabitants.
History
The village was first mentioned in ...
,
* ''Anna'' coal mine in
Wodzisław Śląski
Wodzisław Śląski (; german: Loslau, cs, Vladislav, la, Vladislavia, yi, וואידסלוב, Voydislav, szl, Władźisłůw) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław Cou ...
-
Pszów
Pszów (german: Pschow) is a town in Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 13,896 inhabitants (2019). It is located on ''Rybnik Plateau'' (''Płaskowyż Rybnicki''), in close vicinity to such cities, as Rybnik, Wodzisław Śląski ...
,
* ''1 Maja'' coal mine in
Wodzisław Śląski
Wodzisław Śląski (; german: Loslau, cs, Vladislav, la, Vladislavia, yi, וואידסלוב, Voydislav, szl, Władźisłůw) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław Cou ...
-
Wilchwy,
* ''Boleslaw Smialy'' coal mine in
Łaziska Górne
Łaziska Górne (german: Ober Lazisk, szl, Gōrne Łaziska) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highland ...
,
* ''Marcel'' coal mine in Wodzisław Śląski -
Radlin,
* ''Wujek'' coal mine in
Katowice -
Brynów,
* ''Julian'' coal mine in
Piekary Śląskie
Piekary Śląskie () (german: Deutsch Piekar; szl, Piekary) 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. Located in the Silesia ...
,
* ''Rydultowy'' coal mine in Wodzisław Śląski - Rydułtowy,
* ''Piast'' coal mine in
Bieruń
Bieruń (german: Berun, szl, Bieruń) is a town in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland, seat of the Bieruń-Lędziny County in the Silesian Voivodeship. It is located about south of Katowice.
Geography
It is located in the Silesian Highlands, o ...
,
* ''Kaczyce'' coal mine in
Kaczyce,
* ''Slask'' coal mine in
Ruda Śląska
Ruda Śląska (formerly ) 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 two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica Rive ...
- Kochłowice,
* ''Janina'' coal mine in
Libiąż,
* ''Staszic'' coal mine in Katowice -
Giszowiec
Giszowiec (German language, German: ''Gieschewald'') is an eastern district of the city of Katowice (Silesian Voivodeship, Poland), created as a coal miners' settlement in 1907. Initially consisting of about 3,300 miners and their families, the di ...
,
* ''Polska'' coal mine in
Świętochłowice
Świętochłowice (; german: Schwientochlowitz; szl, Świyntochłowice) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is also the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union metropolis, with a population of 2 million, a ...
- Zgoda,
* ''Wieczorek'' coal mine in Katowice - Janów,
* ''Halemba'' coal mine in Ruda Śląska - Halemba,
* ''Zabrze'' coal mine in
Zabrze
Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: ''Hindenburg O.S.'', full form: ''Hindenburg in Oberschlesien'', Silesian: ''Zŏbrze'', yi, זאַבזשע, Zabzhe) is an industrial city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Si ...
- Bielszowice,
* ''Katowice'' coal mine in Katowice - Bogucice,
* ''Brzeszcze'' coal mine in
Brzeszcze and
Czechowice-Dziedzice
Czechowice-Dziedzice (, szl, Czechowice-Dziydzice), previously known until 1958 as Czechowice, is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 35,684 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the northeastern edge of t ...
,
* ''Pokoj'' coal mine in Ruda Śląska - Nowy Bytom,
* ''Nowy Wirek'' coal mine in Ruda Śląska - Kochłowice.
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 The 21 demands of MKS ( pl, 21 postulatów MKS) was a list of demands issued on 17 August 1980 by the Interfactory Strike Committee (''Międzyzakładowy Komitet Strajkowy, MKS'') in Poland.
The first demand was the right to create independent tr ...
, 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
A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
'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
The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation ( pl, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej – Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, abbreviated IPN) is a Polish state resea ...
, in late August and early September 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 (German: ''Tarnowitz''; szl, Tarnowske Gōry) is a town in Silesia, southern Poland, located in the Silesian Highlands near Katowice. On the south it borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a megalopolis, the greater Si ...
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 -
Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych
The Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych, commonly known as FSM, was a Polish automobile factory born from an agreement between the FSO and Fiat in the 1970s for the construction of a new model, the Polski Fiat 126p, Polish version of Fiat 126 ...
in
Tychy
Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Tichau; szl, Tychy) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city boders Katowice to the north, ...
, ''Katowice Steel Mill'' in
Dąbrowa Górnicza
Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. It is located in eastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Czarna Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers (tributaries of the Vistula River, ...
, in Bytom,
Siemianowice Śląskie
Siemianowice Śląskie also known as Siemianowice (; german: Siemianowitz-Laurahütte; szl, Siymianowice) is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice, in its central district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropoli ...
, 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, an increase in the meat supply, and increased access to the mass media by both Solidarity and the Catholic Church.
The Rise and Fall of the Brezhnev Doctrine, page 138
/ref>
See also
* Lublin 1980 strikes
* Summer 1981 hunger demonstrations in Poland
* 1981 warning strike in Poland
In the early spring of 1981 in Poland, during the Bydgoszcz events, several members of the Solidarity movement, including Jan Rulewski, Mariusz Łabentowicz and Roman Bartoszcze, were brutally beaten by the security services, such as Milicja ...
* 1981 strike at Piast Coal Mine in Bieruń
* 1988 Polish strikes
The 1988 Polish strikes were a massive wave of workers' strikes which broke out from 21 April, 1988 in the Polish People's Republic. The strikes, as well as street demonstrations, continued throughout spring and summer, ending in early September 1 ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jastrzebie-Zdroj 1980 strikes
1980 in Poland
1980 labor disputes and strikes
Labor disputes in Poland
Solidarity (Polish trade union)
Protests in Poland
Jastrzębie-Zdrój
Anti-communism in Poland
Polish People's Republic
August 1980 events in Europe
September 1980 events in Europe