Halina Krahelska (1886–1945) was a Polish writer, social researcher, labour inspector, and political activist. Her activism spanned from radical socialist militantism in the Russian Empire, to working as a labour inspector in newly independent Poland, to running the archive of the underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Throughout the interwar years, she combined state service, research, and activism, becoming an notable expert on Poland in transnational labour networks.

Born Helena Halina Maria Śleszyńska in Odessa, Krahelska grew up in a Polish noble family, which gave her access to a broad education in humanities and languages. Already as a teenager, she became involved in socialist circles in Odessa and later in Kiev, where she contributed to the press of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Her early activism led to her arrest in 1911, imprisonment, and eventual exile to Siberia in 1915. After the February Revolution of 1917, she resumed her political activities and returned to Odessa before moving to Warsaw in 1918, where she began working for the State Labour Inspectorate.

Krahelska’s work as a labour inspector in the 1920s was deeply influenced by her socialist convictions. She did not merely enforce regulations but sought to expose and reform exploitative labour conditions. She focused on women and children, whom she deemed particularly vulnerable in Poland’s rapidly industrializing economy. Her inspections of textile factories in Łódź revealed that many employers violated the eight-hour workday regulation, with some forcing employees to work gruelling 12-hour shifts. Women working the night shift was a widespread phenomenon. Her reports highlighted how these abuses led to extreme exhaustion and poor health among workers, describing one woman who looked “completely wild: her face was so sweaty that she looked drenched in water, while her eyes expressed depression, fear, and exhaustion”.

Title page of Krahelska's landmark publication, "Women's work in contemporary industry" (Source: Polona)

Krahelska’s activism extended beyond state service. After leaving the Labour Inspectorate in 1931, she continued to produce research on labour issues, collaborating with the Institute for Social Economy. There, she worked alongside progressive economists and sociologists who believed research could drive social change. Her 1927 publication on the textile industry exposed the exploitative conditions in factories, drawing attention to the need for the stricter enforcement of labour laws. Beyond Poland, she also was a member of the Correspondence Committee for Women’s Work created by the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 1932 until at least 1936, and contributed her expertise to international discussions on women’s work.

In addition to labour issues, Krahelska was involved in the Polish women’s movement. She was a member of the Political Club of Progressive Women, advocating for social reforms alongside leading feminists of the era. In the early 1930s, she helped establish Poland’s first family planning clinic, an initiative led by physician and writer Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński.

Krahelska’s expertise in labour issues was widely recognised, as evidenced by her numerous publications aimed at experts and the wider public alike. Her practical experience as a labour inspector, combined with her ability to interweave statistical data with striking eyewitness accounts, made her an authoritative voice in debates on labour rights. Her legacy lies in her persistent efforts to bridge activism, state policy, and social research. She demonstrated that advocacy for workers’ rights could be carried out from within state institutions as well as through independent activism. By exposing the harsh realities of industrial work, Krahelska contributed to the broader movement for social justice in Europe.