Issue of the coin “50th Anniversary of the Labour Revolt of June 1976”

Narodowy Bank Polski is issuing collector coins commemorating the participants of the social protests of June 1976.

Narodowy Bank Polski has announced that silver collector coins "50th Anniversary of the Labour Revolt of June 1976" will be available for sale as of Monday 8 June 2026.

The coin with a face value of 10 złoty is made of 999.9 purity silver, has a diameter of 32.00 mm and weighs 14.14 grams. It has been minted in up to 8,000 pieces. The coins will be sold at all the NBP regional branches and in the NBP online shop Kolekcjoner at the price of PLN 370.

The reverse of the coin features silhouettes of protesters and fragments of two flags in the colours of the Republic of Poland. The obverse bears the names of the cities where the most dramatic protests of June 1976 took place: "Radom", "Ursus", "Płock". A stylised image of a block of flats is depicted in the background.

At the end of 1974, as the four years of Gierek's "economic miracle" came to an end, the economic situation in the Polish People's Republic began to deteriorate rapidly. On 24 June 1976, the government announced a proposal for changes in the "structure of prices", which meant drastic increases in prices of basic food products. Prices of meat and fish were supposed to rise by almost 70%, sugar by 90%, and rice by 150%. This resulted in an outbreak of social protests the next day. They took place in 112 factories in 24 voivodships with over 80,000 people participating. The unrests were the most dramatic in Radom, Ursus and Płock.

In Radom, the workers took to the streets demanding to talk to the authorities. After they were denied, some of the protesters forced their way into the PZPR (Polish United Workers' Party) headquarters, ransacked it and eventually set it on fire. After the protests were suppressed the police (the so-called Citizens' Militia) brutally beat and detained people.

Workers of the "Ursus" Tractor Factory went on strike and blocked nearby railway tracks stopping train traffic. The protest was peaceful, however, after it finished the police attacked the participants and detained multiple people. Meanwhile in Płock workers of the petrochemical plant organised a strike and a rally, after which they headed to the PZPR office. Initially, the demonstration was peaceful but after the police intervened, clashes and riots broke out. Many participants were detained.

According to the official data, 239 people were arrested - 173 in Radom, 35 in Płock and 31 in Ursus; some were tried by the misdemeanour tribunals, 40 people were tried in courts. The sentences ranged up to 10 years of imprisonment in some cases in Radom. The last of the incarcerated were released under the amnesty of July 1977.

More information can be found in the brochure.

The next issue is scheduled for 24 June 2026. On that day, Narodowy Bank Polski will be putting into circulation a silver coin with a face value of 20 złoty - "70th Anniversary of the Poznań Labour Revolt of June 1956".

Contact:

Contact for collectors: e-mail [email protected], tel. +48 22 185 17 05

Contact for the press: e-mail [email protected], tel. +48 22 185 20 12

***

About NBP

Narodowy Bank Polski holds the exclusive right to issue banknotes and coins in Poland. All currency issued by NBP, including collector banknotes and coins, is legal tender in Poland. Issuing collector items is an occasion to commemorate historic figures and anniversaries as well as to develop the interest of the public in Polish culture, science and tradition.

High-resolution images of the coins: https://nbp.pl/en/coins-and-banknotes/collector-coins/catalogue/