The Gdansk Shipyard strike was reaction of the labourers against the economic policies of the Wladyslaw Gomulka. The sudden increase in food prices in the Christmas of 1970s was unbearable to the majority of the population. However, the immediate cause that led to the strikes was the dismissal of the crane driver, Anna Walentinowicz. Under the leadership of Lech Walesa, the workers occupied the Gdansk shipyard and put forward their demands. The following were some of their demands: