List of strikes in Poland

Throughout the history of Poland, a number of strikes and labour disputes have occurred.

Background

A labour strike is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. This can include wildcat strikes, which are done without union authorisation, and slowdown strikes, where workers reduce their productivity while still carrying out minimal working duties. It is usually a response to employee grievances, such as low pay or poor working conditions. Strikes can also occur to demonstrate solidarity with workers in other workplaces or pressure governments to change policies.

19th century

1890s

Łódź rebellion, in Congress Poland in 1892, for an eight-hour working day, an increase in wages, and political freedoms.

20th century

1900s

Września children strike, strike by schoolchildren in the Province of Posen from 1901 to 1904 against Germanisation of schools.
Łódź insurrection, in Congress Poland, part of the Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–1907).

1910s

First Silesian Uprising, in 1919, including strikes, against German occupation of Upper Silesia.

1920s

1923 Kraków riot, riot during a strike in Kraków against militarisation of railways.
1928 Łódź general strike^[1]^[2]^[3]

1930s

1933 Łódź textile strike^[4]^[5]
One-day general strike by the Jewish community in 1936 following the Przytyk pogrom.
1937 peasant strike in Poland, the largest protest in the Second Polish Republic.
1939 Polish Jews meat strike, 16-day strike by Jewish butchers and meatpackers in German-occupied Poland against a law banning shechita.^[6]

1940s

1947 Łódź textile strike, strike by textile workers in Łódź, Polish People's Republic.^[7]^[8]

1950s

1956 Poznań protests, including strikes, against the dictatorship of the Polish United Workers' Party.
1957 Łódź tram drivers' strike, pl, strike by tram drivers in Łódź over wages.^[9]^[10]^[11]

1960s

1968 Polish political crisis, including student strikes, against the dictatorship of the Polish United Workers' Party.

1970s

1970 Polish protests, including strikes, over food price increases.
1971 Łódź strikes, strike by textile workers in Łódź against food price increases.
June 1976 protests, including strikes, against food price increases.

1980s

1980 Lublin strikes, series of strikes in Lublin over wages and against food price increases.
Upper Silesia 1980 strikes, series of strikes in Upper Silesia for legalisation of independent trade unions.
1981 general strike in Bielsko-Biała, general strike in Bielsko-Biała against corruption.
1981 strike at the Piast Coal Mine in Bieruń, strike by Piast Coal Mine miners against martial law.
1981 University of Łódź strike, strike by students at the University of Łódź demanding recognition of the Independent Students' Association.^[12]
1981 warning strike in Poland, part of the Bydgoszcz events.
1988 Polish strikes, mass wave of strikes in the Polish People's Republic.

1990s

1991 Polish air traffic controllers strike, strike by air traffic controllers over wages.^[13]
1992–93 Polish miners' strike, 20-day strike by coal miners against layoffs, part of the 1992–93 Polish strikes.^[14]
1992–93 Polish strikes, mass wave of strikes in the Third Polish Republic.^[15]^[16]^[17]
1993 Polish teachers' strike, strike by teachers over wages and financial support for education.^[18]

21st century

2000s

2007 Kielce bus strike, strike by bus drivers in Kielce against privatisation.^[19]

2010s

2019 Polish teachers' strike, 3-week strike by teachers over wages.^[20]^[21]

2020s

2020–2021 women's strike protests in Poland, for abortion rights, part of the Polish constitutional crisis.
Media Without Choice, in 2021.
2024 Polish farmers' protests, part of the 2024 European farmers' protests.

References

^ "Jewish Textile Workers in Poland on Strike". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 10 October 1928. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "200,000 STRIKE IN LODZ; BERLIN HEARS OF CLASH". The New York Times. 16 October 1928. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "LODZ TEXTILE STRIKE ENDS". The New York Times. 23 October 1928. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "BIG STRIKE IN POLAND". The Daily Standard. 22 March 1933. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Florianski, W. (1933). "The strike of the textile workers in Lodz, March-April 1933". International Committee of Textile Workers. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "Meat Strike Ends in Poland; Protest Had Marked Economic Effect". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 30 March 1939. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Gruson, Sydney (25 September 1947). "40,000 POLES STRIKE ON SPEED-UP ORDER; Government Edict Protested by Lodz Textile Workers -- All but 5,000 Return". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
^ Kenney, Padraic (1993). "Working-Class Community and Resistance in Pre-Stalinist Poland: The Poznański Textile Strike, Łódź, September 1947". Social History. 18 (1): 31–51. doi:10.1080/03071029308567859. JSTOR 4286078.
^ "LODZ STRIKE BROKEN". The Singapore Free Press. 15 August 1957. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Cruickshank, Gordon (21 August 1957). "Lodz strikers get no support from other Polish workers". Tribune. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "Troops Rout Defiant Poles, End Tie-Up of Lodz Transit". The New York Times. 14 August 1957. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "The Longest Student Strike Began 43 years ago at the University of Lodz". University of Łódź. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "National strike of Poland's air-traffic controllers". UPI. 10 June 1991. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Turek, Bogdan (4 January 1993). "Poland's coal miners end strike". UPI. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
^ Noakes, Frank (12 August 1992). "Poland slides deeper into crisis". Green Left. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Koza, Patricia (17 August 1992). "Wage protests spreading in Poland". UPI. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ "Strikes in Poland: background summary". European Trade Union Institute. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2024. Since 1989, when the political and economic transformation first took off, the number of strikes has remained quite consistently low, with the exception of two periods: 1992-1993 (resistance to the initial wave of industrial restructuring) and 2007-2008 (post-EU accession economic prosperity period, combined with a massive outward migration to the EU-15, which enhanced the bargaining power of employees).
^ "Teachers strike spreads". UPI. 6 May 1993. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
^ Nakhoda, Zein (4 May 2010). "Polish bus workers defeat privatization, Kielce, 2007". Global Nonviolent Action Database. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Santora, Marc (26 April 2019). "Polish Teachers End Strike to Allow Exams but Tell Government It's Not Over". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Sieradzka, Monika (8 April 2019). "Polish teachers go on strike over wages". DW. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[1] "Jewish Textile Workers in Poland on Strike". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 10 October 1928. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[2] "200,000 STRIKE IN LODZ; BERLIN HEARS OF CLASH". The New York Times. 16 October 1928. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[3] "LODZ TEXTILE STRIKE ENDS". The New York Times. 23 October 1928. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[4] "BIG STRIKE IN POLAND". The Daily Standard. 22 March 1933. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[5] Florianski, W. (1933). "The strike of the textile workers in Lodz, March-April 1933". International Committee of Textile Workers. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[6] "Meat Strike Ends in Poland; Protest Had Marked Economic Effect". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 30 March 1939. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[7] Gruson, Sydney (25 September 1947). "40,000 POLES STRIKE ON SPEED-UP ORDER; Government Edict Protested by Lodz Textile Workers -- All but 5,000 Return". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2024.

[8] Kenney, Padraic (1993). "Working-Class Community and Resistance in Pre-Stalinist Poland: The Poznański Textile Strike, Łódź, September 1947". Social History. 18 (1): 31–51. doi:10.1080/03071029308567859. JSTOR 4286078.

[9] "LODZ STRIKE BROKEN". The Singapore Free Press. 15 August 1957. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[10] Cruickshank, Gordon (21 August 1957). "Lodz strikers get no support from other Polish workers". Tribune. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[11] "Troops Rout Defiant Poles, End Tie-Up of Lodz Transit". The New York Times. 14 August 1957. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[12] "The Longest Student Strike Began 43 years ago at the University of Lodz". University of Łódź. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[13] "National strike of Poland's air-traffic controllers". UPI. 10 June 1991. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[14] Turek, Bogdan (4 January 1993). "Poland's coal miners end strike". UPI. Retrieved 14 November 2024.

[15] Noakes, Frank (12 August 1992). "Poland slides deeper into crisis". Green Left. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[16] Koza, Patricia (17 August 1992). "Wage protests spreading in Poland". UPI. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[17] "Strikes in Poland: background summary". European Trade Union Institute. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2024. Since 1989, when the political and economic transformation first took off, the number of strikes has remained quite consistently low, with the exception of two periods: 1992-1993 (resistance to the initial wave of industrial restructuring) and 2007-2008 (post-EU accession economic prosperity period, combined with a massive outward migration to the EU-15, which enhanced the bargaining power of employees).

[18] "Teachers strike spreads". UPI. 6 May 1993. Retrieved 14 November 2024.

[19] Nakhoda, Zein (4 May 2010). "Polish bus workers defeat privatization, Kielce, 2007". Global Nonviolent Action Database. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[20] Santora, Marc (26 April 2019). "Polish Teachers End Strike to Allow Exams but Tell Government It's Not Over". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

[21] Sieradzka, Monika (8 April 2019). "Polish teachers go on strike over wages". DW. Retrieved 17 November 2024.

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