Between solid and liquid experience in a socialist port: Gdańsk shipyard workers at the turn of the 1980s

Abstract

This article analyzes the Gdańsk shipyard workers, a core group that launched the August 1980 strike. It approaches the phenomenon against the backdrop of the socialist port, regardless of the complexities of the political process. Changing globalizing markets, domestic Polish policies towards socialist ports, and the reactions of shipyard workers to local and global changes all played a central role in defining the experience of work at Gdańsk Shipyard. Its workers were under pressure not only from local conditions, but also, like their foreign counterparts, faced a severe and prolonged crisis in global shipbuilding, evident in reduced demand for new vessels, rapidly evolving regulations and technology, layoffs and fierce competition. As industrial workers, they had strong local connections. As port workers, they were sea-oriented and characterized by occupational mobility. This dual nature – between solidity and liquidity – helped foster cross-sectional unity within Poland and internationally, but also caused dissatisfaction. The article continues by explaining how shipyard workers adapted in the face of new challenges.