Polish PM praises importance of Solidarity union
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on the 45th anniversary of the historic August Agreements between Poland’s communist rulers and the Solidarity, first independent trade union in then-communist Eastern Europe, that there is no freedom without Solidarity.
"We have again showed the world what Solidarity means when the same empire of evil, which had then crushed our freedom, invaded Ukraine," he said in a recording published on the X platform on Sunday.
Referring to the events of 1980, Tusk said that "all of us were so proud of the fact that, thanks to Poland, Solidarity had become one of the fundamental values of the entire West. Along with freedom, equality and respect for all human beings."
The milestone accord of August 31, 1980, which paved the way to the ultimate collapse of communism, followed strikes at the shipyard in the northern Polish city of Gdansk, led by a former employee, Lech Walesa, over an unfair dismissal of another shipyard worker, Anna Walentynowicz.
"There is no freedom without Solidarity. And there is no Solidarity without love," Tusk continued, adding that this still was a lesson for the Polish people, and for the entire world.
On Saturday, the 45th anniversary of the signing the accord in Szczecin, north-western Poland, Tusk wrote on X in English that "for decades the free world was built on brotherhood in arms, mutual respect and freedom."
"On solidarity, not on national egoisms. Our foes were dictators and aggressors. This is the world we dreamed of 45 years ago when the Polish Solidarity was born. Let’s not waste it!"
The protesting workers issued a list of 21 demands to the government for more freedoms in the communist-dominated political system, including the legalisation of independent trade unions, ensuring freedom of speech, releasing political prisoners, removing party privileges for managerial staff and introducing a five-day working week.
The protesters at the Gdansk Shipyard were joined by workers from other cities, forcing the communist regime to make concessions.
The August Agreements were signed in Szczecin on August 30, and, on August 31,
in Gdansk after 18 days of a sit-in strike at the Gdansk Shipyard and protests in over 700 workplaces across the country.(PAP)at/mmr
