robotników

Robotnik is a Polish noun referring to a person who performs manual or industrial work, typically in factories, mines, fields, or construction. The plural nominative form is robotnicy, while robotników is the genitive plural form, used in phrases such as prawa robotników (the rights of workers) or warunki pracy robotników (the working conditions of workers). Thus, robotników functions grammatically as the group’s possessive or object in sentences.

Historically, the term has been central to discussions of the working class in Polish-speaking regions. With industrialization in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a distinct group of manual laborers emerged, giving rise to labor movements, unions, and debates over wages, safety, and rights. In socialist and labor discourse, robotnik or robotnicy has been used to symbolize collective interests and class identity, a language that persisted through the interwar period and the communist era in Poland.

In contemporary usage, robotnik and its plural robotnicy remain common descriptors for people performing manual labor across sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. The form robotników appears mainly in genitive or accusative contexts (e.g., liczba robotników – the number of workers). The concept continues to appear in discussions of labor rights, working conditions, wage policy, and industrial policy, reflecting the ongoing relevance of manual labor in the Polish economy.