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Summary

On 25 June 1976, Polish workers across the country went on strike to prevent the government from implementing drastic food price increases. The strikes, involving over 80,000 workers in more than 130 factories, forced Prime Minister Jaroszewicz to withdraw the price hikes on national television that evening. The campaign succeeded in stopping the price increases and laid groundwork for the later formation of the Solidarity movement.

Background

After World War II, the Soviet Union established the PZPR (Polish United Workers’ Party) government in Poland, which did not allow independent labor unions. By 1975, food shortages spread and the state could no longer afford food subsidies, leading to a proposed reform that would raise meat prices by 50-70%, sausage by 90%, and sugar by 100% [source: nv-database].

What happened

On 24 June 1976, Prime Minister Jaroszewicz presented the price increase legislation to the Sejm and announced it on national television. [source: nv-database] The next morning, workers across Poland began striking: at 6:00 a.m. [source: nv-database] workers in Plock at the Mazowiecki Refinery went on strike, and workers in Ursus occupied rail lines, stopping a train and demanding the price increases be dropped. [source: nv-database] In Radom, about 6,000 workers marched to the PZPR Regional Committee building, where a woman hit Deputy Secretary Adamczyk with her shoe after he dismissed her concerns. [source: nv-database] Workers burned their party cards and forwarded petitions. [source: nv-database] Along the Baltic coast, workers in Gdynia organized sit-in strikes and in Gdansk blocked the Lenin Shipyard entrance. [source: nv-database] In total over 80,000 workers mobilized in over 130 factories. [source: nv-database] The Party sent security forces with crowd control equipment, grenade launchers, water cannons, and armored cars, arresting and beating strikers. [source: nv-database] At 8:00 p.m. [source: nv-database] that evening, Prime Minister Jaroszewicz appeared on national television to call off the price increases. [source: nv-database] Following the strikes, between 10,000 and 20,000 workers were dismissed, between 2,500 and 6,000 arrested, and many sentenced by misdemeanor tribunals. [source: nv-database] In July, Cardinal Wyszynski wrote a letter supporting the workers, and intellectuals led by Jacek Kuron and Antoni Macierewicz organized the Workers’ Defense Committee (KOR) to provide financial, medical, and legal assistance. [source: nv-database] By July 1977, KOR succeeded in getting all workers amnestied and reinstated [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR)
  • Prime Minister Jaroszewicz
  • Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski
  • Jacek Kuron
  • Antoni Macierewicz
  • Workers’ Defense Committee (KOR)
  • ZOMO
  • Mazowiecki Refinery and Petrochemical Works
  • Walter Metal Factory
  • Lenin Shipyard

Tactics used

Workers used coordinated strikes, marches, sit-ins, and symbolic actions such as burning party cards and singing patriotic songs to demonstrate collective opposition. These tactics, combined with petitions and direct confrontation with officials, created enough pressure to force the government to reverse the price increases within hours. [source: nv-database]

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The campaign achieved its immediate goal of stopping the price increases, scoring 10 out of 10 points on the success scale. The strikes also led to the formation of KOR, which provided ongoing support for workers and helped build networks that contributed to the later Solidarity movement and the end of communist rule in Poland [source: nv-database].

Lessons

  • Coordinated, decentralized strikes across multiple cities can quickly force a government to reverse unpopular economic policies.
  • Building alliances between workers and intellectuals (as with KOR) can sustain momentum and provide crucial support after repression.
  • Public, overt organizing under a dictatorship can be effective if grounded in moral and social grounds rather than political ones.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

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