45th Anniversary of the Farmers’ Sit-in Strike
Forty-five years ago, farmers from the then Toruń Region began a sit-in strike at the former Toruń Sugar Factories building. Marek Wojtkowski, Member of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Board, attended today’s (12 November) commemorations in Toruń, which also marked the official conclusion of the Year of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers “Solidarity” and the Bydgoszcz March of 1981, as designated by the Region Parliament.
– Today, we remember the farmers who, 45 years ago, began a month-long protest, presenting economic and political demands. We honour the memory of everyone who took part, both those present at today’s ceremony and those who are no longer with us. It is important to pass on knowledge of events that have played a significant role in our region’s history to younger generations. That is why it is particularly encouraging to see students participating in the historical competition accompanying the commemorations, said Board Member Marek Wojtkowski.
The sit-in strike at the headquarters of the then state-owned Toruń Sugar Factories enterprise began on 12 November 1981. One hundred farmers took part, demanding, among other things, that the communist authorities fulfil previously negotiated agreements, guarantee the right to inherit agricultural land and reform the insurance system. The protest came to an end with the introduction of martial law on 13 December 1981.
To commemorate the 45th anniversary of these events, ceremonies were held in Toruń, including a Holy Mass celebrated by Bishop Arkadiusz Okroj, Bishop of Toruń, for members and activists of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers “Solidarity” (NSZZ RI “Solidarność”).
Floral tributes were also laid at the plaque commemorating the strike on the façade of the National Agricultural Company building on Kraszewskiego Street, and at the memorial obelisk in the Farmers’ Solidarity Square on Staszica Street in Toruń.
The ceremony was also attended by Member of Parliament Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, Deputy Voivode Michał Koniuch and representatives of the leadership of NSZZ RI “Solidarność”.
By a decision of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Parliament, 2026 was designated the Year of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers “Solidarity” and the Bydgoszcz March of 1981.
The ceremony marking the conclusion of the commemorative year dedicated to Farmers’ Solidarity and the March 1981 events is being held at the Marshal’s Office in Toruń under the honorary patronage of Marshal Piotr Całbecki.
Every year, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Government supports organisers of events commemorating rural independence activists, the founders of the Individual Farmers’ Solidarity movement and victims of communist repression.
Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region
12 November 2026
