August strike in Wrocław – the country supports striking shipyard workers – Wrocław

Fact of the Polish figure „The Gdansk Shipyard – 1980″

Part of the „Dreaming about the democracy” topic

The August strikes in Wroclaw in 1980, which took place at the bus depot on ul. Grabiszyska, were one of the key events in the struggle for freedom and workers’ rights in Poland. They began on August 26 as part of a nationwide wave of protests inspired by the events at the Gdansk Shipyard. The main demands of the strikers concerned improved working conditions, increased wages and above all the recognition of independent trade unions.The depot No.7 in Wroclaw became a symbol of resistance against the communist regime. The strikers, supported by the city’s residents and oppositionists, demanded the implementation of 21 demands that were fundamental to the future of Poland. It was here, on 31 August, that the Wroclaw agreements were signed, which were part of the process of legalizing „Solidarity”, the first independent trade union in the Eastern Bloc.