Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
Encyclopedia
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (or Inter-Factory Strike Committee, , MKS) was an action strike
committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard
, People's Republic of Poland
on 16 August 1980. It was led by Lech Wałęsa
and othershttp://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0312240503&id=OVtKS9DCN0kC&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&q=MKS&vq=MKS&dq=MKS+Solidarity&sig=ro3ZLpt5Xy9Xx-E-wGFecfoSe5E and is famous for issuing the 21 demands of MKS
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0472113852&id=fIO1s9Du1cYC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=MKS+Solidarity&sig=yp9Ei0HX4Uz5JUol_urX5DPa_V0 on 17 August, that eventually led to the Gdańsk Agreement
and creation of Solidarity.
. Despite having a “socialist” government, the elite of the Polish ruling class averaged an income twenty times that of the blue-collar worker
. This elite ruling class owned or largely controlled the police, media, and industry of the state, including the state-organized unions. Insufficient pay and food shortages, in addition to a growing movement in favor of independent union activism led to strikes in 1956 and 1970 which left hundreds of workers dead from clashes with police, and both the 1970 and 1976 strikes ended with some concessions but subsequent additional repressions from management. Workers were increasingly dissatisfied with their standard of living and the half-hearted responses of the government to their calls for social justice, and when in July 1980 the government attempted to raise the price of meat even further, sit-in strikes start up again.
lost her job at the Gdańsk Shipyard because of her position as editor of the underground newspaper Robotnik Wybrzeze, her fellow workers took action. Around 16 000 employees of the shipyard discontinued their work and occupied its premises on the morning of August 14, demanding Walentynowicz’s re-employment, the erection of a monument in honor of the victims of the strikes of 1970, and a pay rise of 2000 zlotys, amongst other things. After negotiating with management and having most of their demands met, a vote was taken on August 16 leading to the strike being called off. By this time, however, many of the workers at facilities surrounding the Gdańsk Shipyard had begun their own strikes making similar demands, and it was decided that in solidarity with them, the workers in the shipyard would continue to strike despite their own demands having been met. By the next morning the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (Polish shorthand: MKS) had been formed within the gates of the shipyard, intending to unite workers in the Gdańsk-Soput-Gdynia area, coordinating action and maintaining and order to ensure the safety of the strikers. Lech Wałęsa
, an electrician who had lost his job at the Gdańsk Shipyard in the strikes of 1976 was elected as chair of the MKS, while the remainder of the committee was composed of delegates from other facilities including Bogdan Lis
, Andrzej Gwiazda
, and others. By August 18, the MKS represented workers from 156 separate enterprises, and the number was steadily growing. Just two days after the formation of MKS the Polish economy was brought to a standstill as workers struck at factories and ports all along the Baltic
coast. By August 21, much of the country was affected by strikes, even including the inland mines of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, as more and more workers joined independent unions. The Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee at Gdańsk was becoming the national center for trade union movement: a phenomenon which was itself unique to this series of events. In the strikes of the 1950s and ‘70s it was the lack of a central organized structure that had limited the mobilization potential of striking workers. Now the MKS had been specifically designed with this problem in mind - the decentralization of the workers’ movement – and was working for the first time to unify and strengthen the movement, coordinating strikes all across Poland. It was for this reason that the government of Edward Gierek
found they could no longer buy off strikers with small concessions, and finally had to settle into heavy negotiations with the MKS.
first secretary Edward Gierek was forced to accede to all twenty-one of the strikers’ demands, signing the Gdańsk Agreement
on August 31, which allowed workers the right to strike and organise independent unions.
on August 31, delegates from MKS – representing 3500 separate enterprises and 3 million workers, intellectuals and students – met in Gdańsk. The Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee, which had become a national federation of unions now officially became Poland’s first independent trade union since WWII: Solidarity (Solidarność). Some historians claim that within weeks Solidarity’s membership included almost 80 percent of Poland’s working population, while more conservative estimates claim membership peaked at 50 percent.
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard
Gdansk 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...
, 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...
on 16 August 1980. It was led by 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...
and othershttp://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0312240503&id=OVtKS9DCN0kC&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&q=MKS&vq=MKS&dq=MKS+Solidarity&sig=ro3ZLpt5Xy9Xx-E-wGFecfoSe5E and is famous for issuing 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...
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0472113852&id=fIO1s9Du1cYC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=MKS+Solidarity&sig=yp9Ei0HX4Uz5JUol_urX5DPa_V0 on 17 August, that eventually led to the Gdańsk Agreement
Gdansk Agreement
The Gdańsk Agreement was an accord reached as a direct result of the strikes that took place in Gdańsk, Poland...
and creation of Solidarity.
Background
The widespread strikes of 1980 were far from being the first clashes between the ruling Party and the working class in Poland after WWIIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Despite having a “socialist” government, the elite of the Polish ruling class averaged an income twenty times that of the blue-collar worker
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
. This elite ruling class owned or largely controlled the police, media, and industry of the state, including the state-organized unions. Insufficient pay and food shortages, in addition to a growing movement in favor of independent union activism led to strikes in 1956 and 1970 which left hundreds of workers dead from clashes with police, and both the 1970 and 1976 strikes ended with some concessions but subsequent additional repressions from management. Workers were increasingly dissatisfied with their standard of living and the half-hearted responses of the government to their calls for social justice, and when in July 1980 the government attempted to raise the price of meat even further, sit-in strikes start up again.
The Early Days
When, in August 1980, Anna WalentynowiczAnna 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...
lost her job at the Gdańsk Shipyard because of her position as editor of the underground newspaper Robotnik Wybrzeze, her fellow workers took action. Around 16 000 employees of the shipyard discontinued their work and occupied its premises on the morning of August 14, demanding Walentynowicz’s re-employment, the erection of a monument in honor of the victims of the strikes of 1970, and a pay rise of 2000 zlotys, amongst other things. After negotiating with management and having most of their demands met, a vote was taken on August 16 leading to the strike being called off. By this time, however, many of the workers at facilities surrounding the Gdańsk Shipyard had begun their own strikes making similar demands, and it was decided that in solidarity with them, the workers in the shipyard would continue to strike despite their own demands having been met. By the next morning the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (Polish shorthand: MKS) had been formed within the gates of the shipyard, intending to unite workers in the Gdańsk-Soput-Gdynia area, coordinating action and maintaining and order to ensure the safety of the strikers. 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...
, an electrician who had lost his job at the Gdańsk Shipyard in the strikes of 1976 was elected as chair of the MKS, while the remainder of the committee was composed of delegates from other facilities including Bogdan Lis
Bogdan Lis
Bogdan Lis is a Polish politician, known for his involvement with the anti-communist Solidarity social movement.Born in Gdańsk in 1952, he worked in Port of Gdańsk and Elmor company. Between 1971 and 1972 he was imprisoned for his participation in the anti-governmental coastal cities protests...
, Andrzej Gwiazda
Andrzej Gwiazda
Andrzej Gwiazda in Gdańsk engineer and prominent opposition leader, who participated in Polish March 1968 Events and December 1970 Events; one of the founders of Free Trade Unions, Member of the Presiding Committee of the Strike at Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk in August 1980, Vice President of the...
, and others. By August 18, the MKS represented workers from 156 separate enterprises, and the number was steadily growing. Just two days after the formation of MKS the Polish economy was brought to a standstill as workers struck at factories and ports all along the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
coast. By August 21, much of the country was affected by strikes, even including the inland mines of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, as more and more workers joined independent unions. The Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee at Gdańsk was becoming the national center for trade union movement: a phenomenon which was itself unique to this series of events. In the strikes of the 1950s and ‘70s it was the lack of a central organized structure that had limited the mobilization potential of striking workers. Now the MKS had been specifically designed with this problem in mind - the decentralization of the workers’ movement – and was working for the first time to unify and strengthen the movement, coordinating strikes all across Poland. It was for this reason that the government of Edward Gierek
Edward Gierek
Edward Gierek was a Polish communist politician.He was born in Porąbka, outside of Sosnowiec. He lost his father to a mining accident in a pit at the age of four. His mother married again and emigrated to northern France, where he was raised. He joined the French Communist Party in 1931 and was...
found they could no longer buy off strikers with small concessions, and finally had to settle into heavy negotiations with the MKS.
Negotiations
On the day that the committee was formed, August 17, MKS posted a handwritten list of twenty-one demands in the shipyard. These demands were far broader and all-encompassing that the original postulates of the Gdańsk strikers, pushing for free trade unions and the legal right to strike, an end to the repression of independent activists, improvement of health care services, and the increased availability of basic consumer goods and foodstuffs, amongst other things. In these demands, the workers were calling on the government to protect the constitutional rights of the Polish people, and take steps to improve the low standard of living of blue-collar citizens. After weeks of negotiations with Wałęsa and his MKS, the Communist partyCommunist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
first secretary Edward Gierek was forced to accede to all twenty-one of the strikers’ demands, signing the Gdańsk Agreement
Gdansk Agreement
The Gdańsk Agreement was an accord reached as a direct result of the strikes that took place in Gdańsk, Poland...
on August 31, which allowed workers the right to strike and organise independent unions.
Solidarity
With the signing of the Gdańsk AgreementGdansk Agreement
The Gdańsk Agreement was an accord reached as a direct result of the strikes that took place in Gdańsk, Poland...
on August 31, delegates from MKS – representing 3500 separate enterprises and 3 million workers, intellectuals and students – met in Gdańsk. The Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee, which had become a national federation of unions now officially became Poland’s first independent trade union since WWII: Solidarity (Solidarność). Some historians claim that within weeks Solidarity’s membership included almost 80 percent of Poland’s working population, while more conservative estimates claim membership peaked at 50 percent.
See also
- http://files.osa.ceu.hu/holdings/300/8/3/text/45-4-393.shtml
- http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-1/570/570_08_Poland.shtml