Iconic shipyard threatened
The week's news at a glance.
Gdansk, Poland
The Polish shipyard whose workers formed the legendary Solidarity union is fighting an E.U. order to cut jobs. Polish shipyards have taken in nearly $2 billion in E.U. aid since 2004, when Poland joined the E.U., yet the Gdansk yard is still operating at a loss. E.U. officials say the yard must cut manufacturing capacity and restructure; later, when it becomes profitable, it can hire back laid-off workers. But for the Poles, layoffs are unthinkable. Parliamentary elections are likely this year, and both Poland’s ruling party and main opposition party are packed with former Solidarity supporters. The Solidarity union, formed in the 1980s by electrician Lech Walesa, spearheaded a wave of opposition to corrupt communist governance throughout the then–Warsaw Pact countries. By 1990, communism in Europe was finished and Walesa became Poland’s president.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Time-honored political tactic: Throw your wife under the bus'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Best non-alcoholic spirits for summer cocktails
The Week Recommends As hard liquor takes a backseat for many, the ingredients for the perfect mocktail are dryly delicious
By Ellie O'Mahoney, The Week UK Published
-
Will Biden's tariffs hinder China's EV dominance?
Today's Big Question Climate change goals and American jobs in tension
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published