Report on the Solidarność Movement and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The Polish Solidarność (Solidarity) trade union movement, which began in 1980, serves as a significant historical case study on the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). A symbolic banner gifted by Solidarność leader Lech Walesa to Kentucky trade unionists underscores the global partnerships that were instrumental in this struggle. This report analyzes the movement’s history and its direct impact on achieving key SDG targets.

Alignment with SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The core mission of Solidarność was the pursuit of fundamental labor rights, a central tenet of SDG 8. The movement emerged as a direct challenge to state-controlled puppet unions, demanding economic justice and protections for the workforce.

The Fight for Fundamental Labor Rights (Target 8.8)

Prior to Solidarność, Poland’s workers faced repression, exemplified by the 1970 killing of 45 shipyard workers during protests over stagnant wages and rising living costs. The establishment of Solidarność as the first independent trade union in a Soviet satellite state was a monumental step toward achieving Target 8.8, which aims to “protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers.”

• Core Demands: The union’s primary demands included the right to form free trade unions and the legalization of strikes.
• Mass Mobilization: Following its official recognition on August 31, 1980, the union’s membership grew to over 10 million by 1981, demonstrating a widespread demand for decent work and worker representation.

Fostering Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16)

Solidarność was more than a labor movement; it was a catalyst for systemic political change, directly contributing to the development of democratic and just institutions as outlined in SDG 16.

From Labor Movement to Democratic Institution

The movement’s success represented a fundamental shift from an authoritarian regime to a pluralistic, democratic society, embodying the principles of SDG 16, which calls for “effective, accountable and transparent institutions.” Lech Walesa, a shipyard electrician, rose to become the leader of a movement that transformed Poland’s political landscape.

1. 1980: Following a general strike, Solidarność is officially recognized as an independent union.
2. 1981-1989: The government moves to crush the union, but it survives underground, aided by international pressure and internal reforms within the Soviet Union.
3. 1989: The Polish government re-legalizes Solidarność as a political party.
4. 1990: Solidarność wins a landslide election, and Lech Walesa is elected president, marking the establishment of a democratic government.

Memorialization and Institutional Memory

The legacy of the struggle is preserved through institutions that promote the memory of the fight for justice, including:

• The European Solidarity Centre: A modern cultural institution built on the former Lenin Shipyard site in Gdansk to perpetuate the memory of the movement’s success.
• The Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers 1970: Erected in 1980, it was the first memorial to victims of communist oppression built within a Soviet bloc country, serving as a permanent reminder of the human cost of securing justice and peace.

The Role of Global Partnerships (SDG 17)

The success of Solidarność was significantly bolstered by international support, demonstrating the power of global partnerships as envisioned in SDG 17. A tangible symbol of this connection is a Solidarność banner, a gift from Lech Walesa, now housed in Kentucky with Bill Londrigan, president-emeritus of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO.

A Case Study in Local-to-Global Advocacy

The connection between Polish and American trade unionists highlights a powerful example of international solidarity. In 1990, after Bellarmine College in Louisville awarded Lech Walesa its highest honor, Kentucky union leaders, including Jerry Hammond of the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council, wrote to Walesa. They informed him that the college was allegedly using non-union contractors and undermining local labor rights.

• The Letter’s Message: The council congratulated Walesa but highlighted the perceived hypocrisy, stating, “A wrong to working men and women by Bellarmine College is no different than a wrong to the working men and women in the shipyards of Gdansk.”
• Global Solidarity in Action: This act connected a local labor dispute in Kentucky directly to the global struggle for workers’ rights, leveraging an international partnership to advocate for SDG 8 at the local level. The banner sent by Walesa is believed to be a direct result of this correspondence.
• Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships: The movement also received crucial support from other global partners, most notably the Polish Catholic Church and Pope John Paul II, a Polish native, whose backing was instrumental in ensuring the union’s ultimate success.

Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The article’s central theme is the formation and struggle of Solidarność, an independent trade union. This directly relates to SDG 8, which promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The movement’s demands for the right to organize, fair wages, and the right to strike are core components of the “decent work” agenda. The article highlights the 1970 protests over “the rising price of food and other necessities while wages remained unchanged,” and the Kentucky unionists’ letter condemning the use of contractors who pay “substandard wages,” which are both issues of decent work.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article details the struggle of Solidarność against an oppressive communist regime, culminating in the establishment of a democratic government. This connects to SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. The movement’s fight for legal recognition, the challenge to “state-controlled puppet organizations,” and the eventual transition to a democracy where Lech Walesa was elected president are all examples of building strong, just, and accountable institutions. The article notes that the movement was the “first successful challenge to Soviet authority” and led to a “more pluralistic form of communism,” signifying a move towards more inclusive and just governance.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The narrative explicitly links the Polish trade union movement with American trade unionists in Kentucky. This demonstrates the global solidarity and partnerships that are central to SDG 17. The article describes the banner given by Lech Walesa to Jerry Hammond and the letter sent by Kentucky union leaders to Walesa as tangible evidence of this cross-border civil society partnership. This “worldwide trade union solidarity” mentioned by Bill Londrigan exemplifies the collaborative spirit needed to achieve global goals related to justice and workers’ rights.

Specific Targets Identified

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

1. Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. This is the most prominent target. The article is built around the demand of Solidarność for the government to “allow free trade unions and legalize strikes.” It contrasts the independent unions in democracies that “represent workers to management” with the “state-controlled puppet organizations” under dictatorships, directly addressing the protection of labor rights. The support from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which stated, “No one may deny the right to organize without attacking human dignity itself,” further reinforces this focus.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The struggle for Solidarność to become “the first independent trade union officially recognized by a Soviet satellite state” and later a “legal political party” is a clear effort to establish the rule of law over arbitrary state power. The erection of the “Monument to the fallen Shipyard Workers 1970” is described as the “first memorial to victims of communist oppression in a Soviet bloc country,” signifying a step towards justice for past abuses.
2. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The rise of Solidarność, which grew to a membership of “more than 10 million in 1981,” represents a massive movement for participatory and representative decision-making. The article explains how this grassroots movement “literally changed Poland from a communist state to a democratic country,” culminating in the 1990 election where Solidarność “defeated the Polish Communist Party in a landslide.”
3. Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms. The core demand to form a free trade union is an exercise of the fundamental freedom of association. The article also notes that the union’s fortunes improved after Mikhail Gorbachev’s program of glasnost (openness), linking progress to greater public access to information and freedom.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article provides a clear example of a civil society partnership. The connection between the Polish movement and the Kentucky unionists, evidenced by the letter from the “17 representatives of Kentucky building trades unions” to Lech Walesa and the banner he gifted in return, is a direct illustration of this target. This relationship is described as a “symbol of worldwide trade union solidarity.”

Implied Indicators for Measuring Progress

For SDG 8 Targets

• Legal recognition of the right to form independent trade unions: The article explicitly states that on August 31, 1980, Solidarność “became the first independent trade union officially recognized by a Soviet satellite state.”
• Union membership density: The article provides a specific number, stating that union “membership peaked at more than 10 million in 1981,” which serves as a quantitative indicator of the exercise of the freedom of association.
• Legalization of the right to strike: One of the key demands of the movement mentioned in the article was to “legalize strikes.” The government’s concession to this demand is an indicator of progress.

For SDG 16 Targets

• Transition to a multi-party democratic system: The article indicates this by reporting that Solidarność became a legal political party and “defeated the Polish Communist Party in a landslide and Walesa was elected president in 1990.”
• Number of killings of protestors and activists: The article mentions that in 1970, “Polish police and soldiers had killed 45 shipyard workers during massive protests.” A reduction in such events would be an indicator of progress towards peace and justice.
• Establishment of memorials for victims of oppression: The article points to the “Monument to the fallen Shipyard Workers 1970” as the “first memorial to victims of communist oppression in a Soviet bloc country,” serving as an indicator of a state acknowledging past injustices.

For SDG 17 Targets

• Documented instances of international civil society collaboration: The article provides two concrete examples: the letter sent from the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council to Lech Walesa and the Solidarność banner gifted by Walesa to Jerry Hammond, which now hangs in Kentucky.

Summary of Findings

Source: forwardky.com