Leader in the Struggle for Workers’ Rights

Lech Walesa made history for his contribution in the area of social justice. He is most famous for his involvement in the movement of Solidarity, a Polish trade union. Due to his courage and leadership, Solidarity became the first independent labor union belonging to the U.S.S.R. in the early 1980s. His personal beliefs in freedom and humanity, which were rooted in his Catholic faith, sustained him and gave inspiration to others.

Walesa was born to a family of peasant farmers on September 29, 1943 in Popowo, Poland. He received a primary education and training as an electrician in a local agricultural machinery college. After graduating from vocational school he served in the military for two years. In 1967 Walesa was employed as an electrician in a huge Lenin shipyard in Gdansk, on the Baltic coast. He married Danuta Golos, in 1969, and they had eight children together. As a devout Catholic, he was very shocked by the repression of the shipyard workers when they protested for more rights. He made contact with many small opposition groups and soon emerged as one of the leaders of the shipyard workers. He was often detained by soldiers and in 1976 he lost his job for gaining support for independent trade unions. Due to his activities in union actions, he was kept under surveillance by the state security service.

Under communism, Polish workers and students had little freedom and were repressed by their government. In the early 1970s the Polish economy was failing and food prices