Episode 5: Poland "We've caught God by the arm"

Episode six focuses on the Polish struggles with a communist regime after WWII.

For over 30 years since WWII ended, Poland has been under the one-party rule of Soviet forces that originally liberated Poland from the Nazis. The communist regime does not allow workers cannot organize or represent themselves before the state-owned employers.

In December of 1970, employees at the Lenin Shipyard decide to strike and march on Communist party headquarters to voice their grievances. The marchers were met with force; six were killed and 900 were injured.

In July 1980, the government increases meat prices by almost double, and a series of strikes across the nation begin. Workers learned from the strike in 1970 what an army with weapons could do to them, and they realized that they would be safer if they took their own shipyards and factories hostage. Lech Walesa, a former shipyard electrician, is voted by workers to lead the strike. He decides and plans carefully, saying that the strike would be nonviolent and they would not give the communist regime any reason to shoot at them. By the second day, the strike wides to include public transportation, the port, and 22 factories are on strike; 50,000 workers in all. Government has cut phone lines in fear that the strike would spread, but all over Poland, people know about the Gdansk Strike. The strikers soon present a list of demands.

By day three, Soviets are ready to negotiate with strikers. The shipyard offered better pay and working conditions, everything but independent unions.When the vote is taken, though, it is packed with party officials and the deal is expected. Thousands went home, but some are persuaded to stay and keep the strike alive.

On Sunday morning, day four, a catholic mass takes place inside the gates. The citizens supported the strikers, decorating the gate with flowers and a picture of the Pope who was Polish. They decided to form a Inter-Factory Strike Committee, and presented a list of 21 demands, listed as follows:


The Tasks of the Factories and Institutions on Strike, Represented by the Inter-Factory Strike Committee at the Gdansk Shipyard

1. Acceptance of free trade unions independent of the Communist Party and of enterprises, in accordance with convention No. 87 of the International Labor Organization concerning the right to form free trade unions, which was ratified by the Communist Government of Poland.

2. A guarantee of the right to strike and of the security of strikers and those aiding them.

3. Compliance with the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech, the press and publication, including freedom for independent publishers, and the availability of the mass media to representatives of all faiths.

4. A return of former rights to: 1) People dismissed from work after the 1970 and 1976 strikes, and 2) Students expelled from school because of their views. The release of all political prisoners, among them Edward Zadrozynski, Jan Kozlowski, and Marek Kozlowski. A halt in repression of the individual because of personal conviction.

5. Availability to the mass media of information about the formation of the Inter-factory Strike Committee and publication of its demands.

6. The undertaking of actions aimed at bringing the country out of its crisis situation by the following means: a) making public complete information about the social-economic situation, and b) enabling all sectors and social classes to take part in discussion of the reform programme.

7. Compensation of all workers taking part in the strike for the period of the strike, with vacation pay from the Central Council of Trade Unions.

8. An increase in the base pay of each worker by 2,000 zlotys a month as compensation for the recent raise in prices.

9. Guaranteed automatic increases in pay on the basis of increases in prices and the decline in real income.

10. A full supply of food products for the domestic market, with exports limited to surpluses.

11. The abolition of 'commercial' prices and of other sales for hard currency in special shops.

12. The selection of management personnel on the basis of qualifications, not party membership. Privileges of the secret police, regular police and party apparatus are to be eliminated by equalizing family subsidies, abolishing special stores, etc.

13. The introduction of food coupons for meat and meat products (during the period in which control of the market situation is regained).

14. Reduction in the age for retirement for women to 50 and for men to 55, or after 30 years' employment in Poland for women and 35 years for men, regardless of age.

15. Conformity of old-age pensions and annuities with what has actually been paid in.

16. Improvements in the working conditions of the health service to insure full medical care for workers.

17. Assurances of a reasonable number of places in day-care centers and kindergartens for the children of working mothers.

18. Paid maternity leave for three years.

19. A decrease in the waiting period for apartments.

20. An increase in the commuter's allowance to 100 zlotys from 40, with a supplemental benefit on separation.

21. A day of rest on Saturday. Workers in the brigade system or round-the-clock jobs are to be compensated for the loss of free Saturdays with an increased leave or other paid time off.


15,000 workers, after seeing the demands, return to the shipyard in Gdansk and the strike was spreading across Poland again. While they wait for a response from the Communist party, more and more workers join in on the strike, staying inside their work places to be safe.

During the second week of strike, the strikers are publishing a daily bulletin called "Solidarity" and preparing for a long struggle. By the ninth day, the Inter-factory strike committee represents nearly 500,000 workers.

Day ten, negotiators arrive at the shipyard to try and end the strike. The strikers knew not to push too hard and too far, they made sure to take things slow and go over point by point. They knew that military intervention was a possibility and they had to be careful. Discussion went on for two weeks. The idle factories cause economic strain on Poland. The regime, desperate to begin work again, starts to accept some of the demands.

By August 31, an agreement was ready to sign. Strikers have won  pay raises, a five day work week, relaxed press censorship, free trade unions and the right to strike.

In the next four months, "Solidarity" expands its charter to nearly 10 million members. However, their mere existence challenges the Soviet party. They knew they had to expand fast to be more powerful and be ready when the Soviets strike back. Soon, union activists were being harassed, newspapers were being censored, offices raided and workers are ordered to work two Saturdays a month, an open breech of the agreement. Solidarity comes back, threatening strikes.

Soviets began locking up union activists and banned the union, but support still exists. For seven years, it seems that there is stability, but it is only the cover of repression. Solidarity still has underground resistance.  In 1988, the surface collapses after price increases, food lines, and rationing paralyze the country. A new wave of strikers is beyond the Soviet's ability to control. Communists invite Solidarity to help them reconstruct Poland on the basis of a different, multiparty democratic model.

POLAND TIMELINE:

December 1970    Workers in Gdansk and other Baltic Coast cities strike. Strikers clash with Government troops.

September 23, 1976    KOR (Workers' Defense Committee) is formed by dissidents to help families of workers in jail or on trial.

July 1980    Polish leaders announce food price hikes, triggering strikes.

August 14, 1980    Workers at Lenin Shipyard strike.

August 16, 1980    Inter-factory Strike Committee forms at Lenin Shipyard, representing strikers from different enterprises across Poland.

August 23, 1980    Communist Party negotiators arrive at Lenin Shipyard to begin talks with the strike committee.

August 31, 1980    Agreement is signed, giving workers the right to form unions independent from government control.

September 17, 1980    A nationwide independent trade union, Solidarity, is established.

December 13, 1981    The government declares a "state of war" and suspends Solidarity.

February 6, 1989    The Polish government convenes roundtable talks, which include Solidarity, to discuss Poland's future.

June 4, 1989    Solidarity wins control of the government in free elections.


photos courtesy of: aforcemorepowerful.org and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/5400838/Poland-forced-to-move-democracy-celebrations.html