The time came for regional elections of “Solidarity” all over Poland, including the “Sandomierz Land” region with its seat in Stalowa Wola. The debates were very stormy and aggressive, caused by a sharp rivalry between the Stalowa Wola and Tarnobrzeg group. The rivalry concerned the basic issue, namely determining the seat of regional authorities. The Tarnobrzeg group, strong with its sulphur conglomerate maintained that the seat should be in Tarnobrzeg as a provincial capital . The Stalowa Wola group, strong with its metarulgic, countered that the previous seat was in Stalowa Wola, that’s where the first strikes in the province took place, that’s where the regional authorities of the union were created, and that’s where the seat of the regional authorities should stay. As a result of total disagreement, brutality and aggressiveness of speeches, delegates of the Tarnobrzeg factories left the meeting hall of the regional assembly as a sign of protest. The chaos and disorder of the meeting did not appeal to the delegates of Grzybów Mine either. In solidarity with the Tarnobrzeg conglomerate as the same industry (sulphur workers) they left the meeting hall. It is not known why only Bolesław Kozłowski remained in the meeting hall; the still ongoing regional congress elected him a delegate to the 1st National Congress of NSZZ “Solidarity” in Gdańsk. The Tarnobrzeg plants protested to the “Solidarity” National Consultative Committee to invalidate the election in the Sandomierz region. A large report on this conflict – based on information from the “Solidarity” members in Grzybów – was even published in the “Solidarity Weekly.”

Similar conflicts were part of the convention proceedings and in other regions, although they concerned different issues. The National Covenant Committee accept the protest and ordered supplementary elections to complete the composition of the regional board by representatives of the plants that had left the meeting. Supplementary elections were held in Tarnobrzeg and in these elections Edward Antończyk from Tarnobrzeg and Józef Małobęcki were elected supplementary delegates to the 1st National Solidarity Congress in Gdańsk. Finally, “Sandomierz Land” on the 1st National Convention was represented by 10 delegates:

Stanisław Krupka – Chairman of Stalowa Wola Region

Kazimierz Rostek – Stalowa Wola

Janusz Wilczek – Stalowa Wola

Maria Pyzik – Stalowa Wola

Józef Sokołowski – Nowa Dęba

Jacek Kossak – Sandomierz

Edward Antończyk – Tarnobrzeg

Bolesław Kozłowski – Staszów

Józef Małobęcki – Staszów

Henryk Linek – Stalowa Wola

The election of two delegates from the Grzybów Mine was undoubtedly a recognition and success for the “Solidarity” union in Grzybów. As Edward Antończyk was the chairman of the PAX provincial board, and Solidarity’s statutes explicitly excluded combining functions in different organizations, he could not actively participate in the convention, remaining only an invited guest. This fact was brought up just before the convention, which made it impossible to elect an additional delegate in his place.

In May, Poland was shaken by two events. On 13 May, Pope John Paul II was wounded in St. Peter’s Square in Rome in an attempt on his life. A few days after this tragic event the Primate of the Millennium, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, died in Warsaw. It was almost that the death simultaneously took away from Poland two unquestionable authorities, which were the most valuable for the nation at that time. The funeral of Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, became a manifestation of strong support of the Church by the society. The funeral mass on the Victory Square in Warsaw gathered countless crowds, paying tribute to the great man and Pole. The mass was also attended by diplomatic representatives of many countries. Alojzy Mazewski, President of the Polish American Congress, came to Poland for the first and last time. His uncompromising attitude towards the communist regime in Poland did not allow him to visit Poland earlier. This sad circumstance required him to pay tribute to Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, the tireless defender of the nation’s rights under the communist yoke.

The funeral ceremony was also attended by representatives of the highest communist authorities. Even they appreciated the greatness of the deceased, paying tribute to him for his years of persistent fight for the good of Poland. “Solidarity” of “Staszów Land”was represented by a delegation headed by Stanisław Świrszcz. They manifested their presence with a banner “We join in prayer – Society and NSZZ “Solidarity” of Staszów Land.”

Funeral of the Primate of the Millennium, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński

The banner on the left of coffin is the banner of “Staszów Land.”

The mass became a great mourning and patriotic event and was broadcast live on communist-controlled television. The entire nation participated in this solemn event. Even after his death the Primate united the nation with his funeral ceremony, giving it strength and faith in the rightness of his actions.

In May, on the occasion of the anniversary of the issuance of the “Proclamation of Połaniec” by hero of Poland and American Revolution, Chief, general Tadeusz Kościuszko, ceremonies commemorating this event were held at the Kościuszko Mound in Połaniec.

The guest of honor at the ceremony was the chairman of the “Rural Solidarity,” Jan Kozłowski. The ceremony gathered crowds of farmers, not only from “Staszów Land,” but also representatives of the rest of society not related to agriculture. The celebration was also attended by the Grzybów Sulphur Mine Orchestra under Stanisław Jastrząb, who is irreplaceable in such circumstances.

At the same time, the “Staszów Land” Solidarity Coordination Committee carried out activities aimed at separating the Staszów Land from the Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship and reincorporating it into the Kielce Voivodeship. The administrative division of the country carried out by the communists in 1975 resulted in the creation of new provinces, never before known in Poland, inconsistent with the traditional historical administrative division of the country. The administrative staff, enlarged and controlled by the communists, could no longer fit into the existing structures. These structures had to be expanded to absorb these cadres. The only solution was to make a new administrative division and create 49 voivodeships from the previous 17.

At the same time, there was an effort to use this fact for propaganda purposes as a testimony of the communists’ care for the promotion of smaller centers for their development. The new administrative division was in fact a liquidation of cadres and a more precise control over the areas under their authority (49 provincial militia headquarters, 49 provincial communist secretaries). The creation of the Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship and the incorporation of “Staszów Land” into it was intended to achieve these purposes. The incapacitated society of these areas, just like everywhere else, could not express its will.

“Solidarity” has now given such an opportunity. Historically, the “Staszów Land” has always been bound to the Kielce region. The eastern side of Kielecczyzna was geographically always based on the Vistula River, and the eastern side was the “Staszów Land.” “Staszów Land” is also Szydłów and Raków, which remained within the borders of Kielecczyzna. Difficult common historical history, the same culture, customs, and even colloquial speech are the bonds connecting the “Staszów Land” with the Kielce region. This bond was partially broken and limited due to the communists.

The society of the “Staszów Land” did not accept it and from the very beginning of the “Solidarity” movement reminded about it. The time has come to take action to overcome the existing division, undertaken by the Solidarity “Staszów Land” Coordination Committee. Similar actions were also taken in some other parts of Poland. An opportunity to present these efforts was a session of the Town and Commune National Council, controlled, as was the case in Poland, by councilors recommended by the communists, which was attended by representatives of the “Solidarity” “Staszów Land.” Local Coordination Committee.

Józef Małobęcki presented the aspirations of the Staszów society at the council session, asking for adoption of an appropriate resolution. The councilors, protecting themselves from responsibility for such a “revolutionary” resolution, questioned the possibility of adopting it without consulting the society. This argument would have been justified in a way, if the council had ever held such consultations. It was basically a method designed to postpone the resolution. The members of the Interim Coordination Commission, intuitively aware of what was behind these consultations and knowing that in the previous activities of the National Councils in People’s Poland there had never been any public consultations, realized that the councilors of Staszów would not do it either. The Solidarity Interim Coordination Commission proposed conducting a credible survey among the public using the questionnaire method, and presenting the results authenticated by the signatures of those surveyed to the council at the next session. It knew the sluggishness of administrative action and did not trust the council dominated by members loyal to the communists. A strange phenomenon during the session of the Municipal and Communal National Council in Staszów that day was the presence of a major of the Militia, who had a longer conversation with Józef Małobęcki after the session about the repercussions of the proposed resolution. It was decided to place the initiative in the hands of Solidarity, which the council could not disagree with. The Interim Coordination Commission began to act. Surveys were drawn up at the mine with a short question: “Are you in favor of the reattachment of the “Staszów Land” to the Kielce Voivodeship?” It was decided to use the company branch of the Solidarity Trade Union to conduct the survey among the people of Staszów and those working in Staszów. There was a more arduous way to conduct the poll in the rural environment.

It was decided to combine two initiatives. The second initiative was for the Local Coordination Committee to organize the Farmers’ Solidarity and at the same time conduct a survey among the inhabitants of Staszów villages. Stanisław Żyła, the initiator of the farmers’ union in Staszów, accepted this information with great joy. The action started. It was decided to organize founding meetings directly after masses. Stanisław Żyła was the organizer of the meetings.

The meeting took place in Kurozwęki and was initiated by Stanisław Żyła and Stefan Wąsala, the president of the Guild of Different Crafts in Staszów. Further meetings with farmers were held in Niemścice, Wola Osowa, Czernica, Czajków and Smerdyna. The meeting in Wola Osowa on behalf of the Local Coordination Committee besides Józef Małobęcki was attended by Jan Markowski – the chairman of the company branch of the Solidarity Trade Union in the “Asko” Leather Cooperative in Staszów. Józef Małobęcki and Czesław Kaszluga, a member of the Local Coordination Committee and an employee of the Sulphur Mine in Grzybów, took part in the meeting in Czajków and Smerdyna. Apart from Stanisław Żyła, Józef Małobęcki took part in all such meetings. The organization was to be carried out successively in other villages, by the strength of already partially organized farmers. The inhabitants of villages participating in the meetings eagerly signed questionnaires, expressing their will to rejoin the Kielce Voivodeship. The number of signatures collected was sufficient to present the society’s will at the session of the Town and Commune Council in Staszów. At the next session of the Council, the Local Coordination Committee presented the survey results. The Council was put before the fait accompli and having no noteworthy counter-arguments it adopted, with few exceptions (the “hard-headed” communists), a resolution consistent with the will of “electors.” It was decided to send information about the decision to the appropriate ministry, as well as to the governors of Tarnobrzeg and Kielce. In addition, a delegation of the Presidium of the Council was sent to personally present the content of adopted resolution to the governor of Kielce. The delegation was headed by Andrzej Teter, the chairman of the Municipal and Communal National Council. The delegation also included the chairman of the “Solidarity” Local Coordination Committee, Józef Małobęcki. The delegation was received very warmly, and it was decided to suspend further activities until the Ministry took a position, expecting that pressure from other areas of Poland concerning similar territorial changes would result in such a decision sooner or later. The actions of the “Solidarity” Regional Committee of the “Staszów Land” were crowned with success.

Another problem to be solved was that of providing accommodation for pre-school and school children in Staszów. Talks were held with the town authorities, represented by the head of town, Władysław Szeliga, as well as with the mine management. The mine management, represented by the director Franciszek Nadrowski, understanding the problem, agreed to transfer 3/4 of the company’s club space o at Langiewicza Street for a kindergarten, agreeing at the same time to provide assistance in modernizing and adapting the transferred club premises. It was much more difficult to obtain additional space for the Primary School No. 1, as the most convenient spaces for this purpose were inefficiently used rooms in the building of the Municipal Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR) at Swierczewskiego Street, which was actually built with state money. The Solidarity Local Coordination Committee demanded that the premises be made available.

The city chief, who had no authority to make such decisions, was notified of this proposal, which he passed on to the PZPR city secretary, Andrzej Teter. The NSZZ “Solidarity” ignored the PZPR as an equal partner, treating the administration as a partner despite de facto communist management of the country by the subordinate and communist-controlled administration. This was also the method used in Staszów. Already on the second day after this proposal was passed, countless signs appeared on the building of the PZPR committee, informing about the existence of many organs of other socio-political organizations in the building, indicating that the premises were completely crowded and properly arranged.

The fact that these boards were placed did not cause the Local Coordination Committee to abandon its purpose. It should be mentioned here that children attended two existing primary schools, learning in three shifts, so that many of them returned from school after the traditional TV bedtime, around 7:30 p.m. This situation was detrimental not only to the pupils, but also to the teachers who were forced to work these hours, usually in overcrowded classrooms that did not conform to any standards. The conditions of school premises were poor (no running water). Another very important factor was the many years of construction of a new school in Staszówek, the completion of which, despite so many years of work, was not foreseen in the coming years. Obtaining rooms from the PZPR (Polish United Workers’ Party) committee was a form of pressure to make the school be completed faster, as the main decision-makers were communists. Placing the school in the communist building was intended as a daily reminder of this important issue, as well as a direct pressure to rush the decision to complete the school. In fact, it was the only building in this area located in close proximity to Primary School No. 1, and which, after adaptation, could be used for at least a few classrooms. The district committee, knowing that the communists would perceive its demand as an attack on the “people’s power” (which was partly true), prepared for the upcoming meeting with the communists. The necessary data was collected in the form of prepared reports, which were drawn up by: “Solidarity” of School No. 1 – the report concerned the standards of the number of children in classes; “Solidarity” in ZOS (local hospital) – the report concerned the sanitary and hygienic situation at School No. 1 (no running water, common with the Secondary School of Economics toilets outside the building without running water); “Solidarity” of ZSP (local fire station) – the report concerned the fire danger and the difficulties of evacuation in case of fire.

Thus prepared, the trade unionists from the Local Coordination Committee were ready for talks with the Staszów communists. The meeting took place in the building of the PZPR committee. On the part of PZPR, the meeting was attended by the deputy secretary of the Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship Committee of the PZPR, the municipal secretary of the PZPR, Andrzej Teter, together with part of the executive, which included teachers from some schools in Staszów. A paradoxical situation arose because some educators, members of the communist executive, were against the transfer of part of the committee building for school No. 1. The surprising opposition from this party astonished the members of trade union members. On the part of the Local Coordination Committee led by Józef Małobęcki, the meeting was attended by: Bolesław Zabranny, Andrzej Ptak, Andrzej Kodym, Czesław Kaszluga, Zdzisław Paciura, and Stanisław Świerszcz.

On the part of the city authorities, the meeting was attended by the head of the town, Władysław Szeliga, and Stanisław Wójcik from the education department of the city hall. The city authorities sympathized with the union’s aspirations, even though – due to their positions – they could not show this openly. However, their shy remarks were useful and coincided with the goals of the Solidarity Coordination Committee. The first meeting, after presenting reports and problems as well as the positions of parties, ended with setting the date for the next meeting, which took place in a week’s time in the same building of the PZPR committee.

During one of the breaks in the second round of talks, the provincial secretary, in direct discussion with Józef Małobęcki, tried to convince him to abandon his efforts in obtaining part of the committee building for school purposes. This discussion could not end successfully. During further discussions, an unpleasant dispute arose when, after another break, an agitated provincial secretary came in and accused the trade unionists of attaching a cardboard plaque to the front of committee building informing that the building had already been occupied for the benefit of Primary School No. 1. He stated that this is just putting the other side before the facts. The trade unionists treated this accusation as frivolous. They believed that the communists were using the incident with plaque as a pretext to break off the talks, to which they responded with the threat of a strike in the mine.

Mieczysław Pomorski from Stalowa Wola, a representative of the Board of “Sandomierz Land” Region, also participated in the second meeting on the part of the Local Coordination Committee. After 12 hours of discussion the persistence of trade unionists led to obtaining premises on the first floor of the PZPR committee for the benefit of the Primary School No. 1. The success of the Regional Commission of NSZZ “Solidarity,” the “Staszów Land” was announced by the nationwide “Solidarity Weekly” in issue 13 of June 26, 1981.

The information titled “School in the PZPR building” had the following content:

“The Local Coordination Committee in Staszów (Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship) signed agreements with the PZPR Town and Commune Committee, under which part of the premises of the Committee’s building were transferred to primary school. This will allow for the elimination of three-shift schooling.”