FOR the fourth time in 25 years, the industria workers of Poland have thrown back the Stalinist regime's destructive attack on the rights of the Polish masses.
The bureaucratic plungea Ine ronsh economy into a catastrophic crisis. The source of its inability to manage the economic and social life of the country is the subordination of every other issue to the preservation of the bureaucracy's exclusive grip on political power.
When Gierek came to power he solemnly promised an uninterrupted rise in living standards and stable prices. But running up huge foreign debts, failing supply consulei markets, it had to make up for its incompetence subsidies taking up 40 per sent of the massive total budget.
Since 1976 it has been trying to make the working masses of Poland pay by USLY every LUCK manoeuvre to raise prices, thus breaking the pledge on living standards through which Gierek gained the workers' acceptance in 1971.
Meanwhile, the industrial system is in chaos. The credits from Western capitalist banks have in many cases been squandered on useless projects.
In the last few years, the regime has tried to shift the burden of paying tor the crisis onto the poorest and sections of Polish society weakest while at the same time allowing a new class of speculators and racketeers, often linked to the bureaucracy itself, to flourish.
The poorest peasants have been hit by the new pension laws, essential medicines nave run out. the living standards of a big section of the less well-paid workers have declined, the miners in Silesia have been forced to put their lives at risk in the cause of gelling the SLaLe population's housing needs have been ignored, services have eroded.
The Polish working class is quite able to take upon itself responsibility for clearing up the crisis that the Stalinist regime has created, but only on one condition: the working class must gain political power. No working class responsibility for solving the crisis without working class political power. This the decisive behind the present crisis.
From this defensive struggle, on the basis of defending their economic rights, the Polish workers will grow in strength. confidence dilu organisation and can open the road to a Dos uve. asue. over sonor to the crisis. They can turn the 'Polish which the working people will really exercise political power and determine inel own tale.
should draw up a new economic plan and supervise its implementation In June 1976 the Party centre asked the voivode party organisations what the reaction would be to their planned price increases: everv single ›oivode party organisation except on - 4< о о ч said the increases would be accepted! That is a measure of how closely the so-called Polish United Workers' Party represents the real views of the Polish workers.
So all talk of the party being the forum for discussion and decision on a plan to beat the crisis is another way Socialist Challenge 3 September 1980 has off the ground. and the been issue of saying that an anti-working class policy will continue. self- The real, living working people of rolana must be debate and decide the measures needed to overcome the should be a national congress of the eleted delegates of work-places and neighbourhoods throughout the cities and villages of Poland to decide on a new economic plan and to supervise Its apiementalion.
Unmuzzle the press, open the books of the ministries, tree discussion of alternative programmes Any publication demonstrate a minimum of support sav 5.000 readers ficially supplied with paper and printing facilities. Repression of the unofficial OICSS like Nowa bullsein Robotnik should be ended KOR's bulletin Otherwise all talk of 'national discussion' is a cynical sham. Workers in the big factories can demand the right to start their own independent workers' given ine rignt to decide amongst them. crisis. There want the workers to sutter unemplovnational system of planned develop ment should come out openly with their programme. Those who want to give the workers power over the plan who want to defend the right to work and to a living wage, must be able to put forward and poncics.
first.
which can re-organisation of should be of. managed bv the people themselves.
free from bureaucratic dictates. programme to solve the crisis must publishing information ple.
state bureaucracy over the lives 01 It argues that the bureaucracy is incapable of solving the economic and political crisis, and that the struggle in Poland poses the question of political power.
All programmes and policies from democracy. all sections of society must be fully aired in public so that the workers can Those who gramme:ment and who want to abandon any with inflation!
argue tor their A policy which puts the interests of working people As socialists we call for a radical society so that creases, social, economic and political life is to monitor price rises.
therefore be worked out in accordance with the needs of working peoSuch a programme must include breaking the power of the party and working people, and the fight for a Kings, 3. media! bodies. privileges to them.
terest cliques mittees.
new political order of working class In the fight for these objectives we put forward the following action proThe government has for four years reneged on its pledges to keep down prices. Bit by bit, it has surreptitiously increased prices all along the line. This is why the workers of Ursus have demanded a sliding scale of wages, to keep wages in line with price rises.
Just as the workers have chosen their delegates in factory after factory lo leda me ligal againsu orice Inthey should choose delegates to cost of living committees such as The workers who have defended their class interests in the wave of strikes have taced the threa of vicious state violence and reprisals. After 1971 and 1976, the workers leading the struggle were victimised; the bureaucracy ruined the lives of the strike organisers and leaders by sackdemotions, persecution, expulsion from the party, etc This must not be allowed again. Victory will only be secured when the right to strike is guaranteed, when laws penalising workers for 'harming national production' are scrapped The right to strike means the right to picket and the right to hold street demonstrations. The police and the security organs must be banned from intervening in industrial disputes.
Full access to the The workers must have the right to tell the truth about what is going on. Open the pages of the press to the wurkers collitices.
4. For free and democratic trade unions!
The workers must have the right to create their own independent trade union organisations, to build up their own funds, and to clect their own representatives. Manugement personnel should be excluded trom such 5. Demobilise the army of place-hunters and supervisors! For workers' selfmanagement!
Polish industry is stuffed full of supervisory personnel and of posts and perks for those prepared to do the bidding of their superiors. The well heeled director, party factory com mittee secretary, full-time trade union official and their cronies have their perks and leaving aside all the fiddles and shady deals that are open Control over the management of the enterprise and plant must be put back in the hands mass workers — the only people with no insuch corrupt. nepotistic Social and welfare services should be entirely separated from management activity and put in the hands of independent, elected comOverall control of the enterprise should be in the hands of elected committees_of shop-floor and white collar employees who should take all the key decisions about the running plant ana cuerprise No Stalinist intervention in Polish affairs The regime brandishes the threat of Soviet invasion to intimidate the working class. This threat cannot be ignored: it must be faced openly and challenged Where does the Polish government stand on the question of Poland's right to self-determination?
The workers must demand of the government that it openly stale is opposition to any Soviet interference. It should demand action to demonstrate the Soviet government's good faith: it should demand the removal of Soviet troops trom Poland It should seek a united front of Communist and Socialist parties and the governments of workers states Romania, Yugoslavia and others in defence of Poland's right to national self-determination.
If the Polish workers reach out for support from the working people of Eastern Europe and throughout the world. thev will create the best conditions for resisting any Soviet attempt to suppress their just struggle.
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A national congress of work-place and neighbourhood delegates
THE following declaration was written by exiled Polish revolutionary Marxists in July, before the latest strike wave got Polish workers; they must be given the power to fight the crisis.
1. No cuts in living stan- dards! Raise wages in line
2. No victimisations! De- fend the right to strike!