THE TRADE UNIONS
Trade unions in Poland have a special place among social organisations and associations, mainly due to the role played by the Solidarity trade union during the social and political changes after 1980.
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The union movement was not so widespread in Poland until after the restoration of independence in 1918. Between the two World Wars there were hundreds of trade unions, differentiated by their trade and political agendas. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, the Polish trade union movement Poland began to turn radical, with a growing influence of the Communist International.
After the Second World War, the rich tradition of the Polish trade union movement was put under by the Communist ideology and became a part of the totalitarian system. Trade unions were nationalised and centralised in a central trade union board, a façade, figurehead institution.
The wave of strikes in the Polish coastal cities in 1980 totally changed the situation.The Solidarity Independent and Self-Governing Trade Union, which was created at that time, was the first independent union organisation operating in Poland - or indeed anywhere in the Communist bloc - after the Second World War. Soon this trade union transformed into a gigantic social movement with nearly 10 million members, which eventually led to the collapse of the Communist state and, in consequence, of the totalitarian system in Poland.
Currently, the two largest trade union organisations are OPZZ (the Polish Alliance of Trade Unions) with headquarters in Warsaw, and NSZZ "Solidarność" (the Solidarity Independent and Self-Governing Trade Union), with a national committee in Gdańsk.
As in most other European countries, trade unions in Poland are associated with the world of politics. OPZZ sees itself as a partner of the social-democratic groups, whereas NSZZ "S" is connected with the right-wing parties. The remaining union organisations occasionally make alliances with various political parties.
According to union data, OPZZ has nearly 3 million members (including 500 thousand pensioners), while Solidarity unites 900 thousand workers. Both OPZZ and Solidarity are members of the International Labour Organisation. In addition, Solidarity is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation, uniting the largest European trade union organisation, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, and is represented in the Union Advisory Committee at the OECD.
OPZZ and Solidarity represent employees at the Tri-lateral Committee for Social and Economic Affairs, the basic Polish institution for social dialogue between employers, employees, and the government.. It main aim is to conduct negotiations on wages and social benefits, tax liabilities, the draft budget, and other issues important for social stability and harmony.
The smaller union organisations include the Solidarity '80 Independent and Self-Governing Trade Union, a splinter group which looks back to the union traditions of the early 1980's, as well as some unions representing specific trades, such as a miners' union, a teachers' union, a railway workers' union , and a nurses' and midwives' union. A special role in the Polish trade union movement is played by the unions of private farmers and agricultural employees, which protect the interests of rural residents. Like their colleagues in other European countries, Polish farmers conduct spectacular protest campaigns, including spilling agricultural produce or waste in public places or blocking roads and railway lines.
