From early on, Wałęsa was intereste

From early on, Wałęsa was interested in workers' concerns; in 1968 he encouraged shipyard colleagues to boycott official rallies that condemned recent student strikes.[8] A charismatic leader,[10] he was an organizer of the illegal 1970 strikes at the Gdańsk Shipyard when workers protested the government's decree raising food prices; he was considered for chairman of the strike committee.[3][8] The strikes' outcome, involving over 30 workers' deaths, galvanized his views on the need for change.[8] In June 1976, Wałęsa lost his job at the Gdańsk Shipyards for his continued involvement in illegal unions, strikes and a campaign to commemorate the victims of the 1970 protests.[3][8][9] Afterwards, he worked as an electrician for several other companies, but was continually laid off for his activism and was jobless for long periods.[8] He and his family were under constant surveillance by the Polish secret police; his home and workplace were always bugged.[8] Over the next few years, he was arrested several times for participating in dissident activities.[3]