THE POLISH regime scared. The idea was that the new trade union movement which began with the August strike wave would start to fizzle out by now. Instead it is growing stronger by the day.
Estimates of the membership of the called (Solidarity), go as high as seven million -out of a workforce of only 12m. In plants like the massive Nowa Huta steelworks, something like 90 per cent of the workers have joined up.
And example Recently a peasant union was set up at a meeting in Drewnica. Student meetings in Cracow, Warsaw, Wroclaw have been held to prepare for the launching of an independent union at national level.
The successful one-hour strike on 3 October demanding that the agreement signed by the government at the end of August be fully carried out, showed the growing confidence and discipline of the Strike leader Lech mented afterwards: know how to start a strike and how to end a strike. That's what we needed to prove.
Further strikes cannot be ruled out. Several points the statutes. submitted to a Warsaw court for ratification on 24 September, have been rejected by the authorities for what Solidarnosc spokesperson Badkowski described as 'political and not legal' reasons.
The objections centre on the absence of any mention of the leading role of the Polish United Workers Party (as the Community Party is called); the fact that a na. tional rather than regional structure is proposed for the unions; and that party officials would be banned from holding posts in the new union.
These are real issues. The problem for the party chiefs is that the leading role in society they claim for themselves is actually being played by AS press reports daily is running Solidarnosc spreading.
Gdansk, and Walesa com'We showed union's Lech Defence slander the unions.
imthe of the Iraqi masses, massively boost the Kurdish fight, and both in general extend the Iranian revolution to other sectors of the region.
Anyone but the wilfully blind immediately back Solidarnosc has won that role because it fights for the The PUWP Moscow during the Second World War after the previous CP had been forcibly liquidated by Stalin in 1938 - has completely lost face.
This was spelt out by a prominent party journalist, Stefan meeting of the Polish Writers' Union on 5 September. Defending the Social SelfCommittee campaign in Bratkowski pointed out:
'The fact is that not we but the KOR defended the workers in 1976. merit and it's too bad we did not do the this. Yet socialists must say on both your houses' It's no use trying to avoid the problem by promising: If the US or other forces invade see Iran (or Iraq fight because they would only reinforce the present society and strengthen Fficial propaganda. creation Bratkowski, at a (KOR) against a the party press, in the leadership sought.
That is its what would we are told that American 'a plague ment.
- SIC) marxists Britsh shipping'. against them, believe hypocrisy, the hold of reacsame. It wasn't the KOR that directed ofIt wasn't the KOR that disorganised our economy and got us so deep in debt that the threatened with bankruptcy; that promoted wastrels and criminals.' More and more of these 'criminals and wastrels' are coming to light every day. Each new case of corruption is blamed on the individual. But it is the system itself - based on secrecy and repression - which encourages such behaviour.
Reshuffle after reshuffle is occurring as scapegoats something to hide. All are scared stiff of bureaucrat happen workers' democracy of the new union movement military involveThe US fleet has been massively reinforced since the different conflict began - with Britain providing a carrier 'to protect Unless you imperialist you must with Socialist Challenge that 'worse' perience.' pushed back.
Kremlin.
help: 'We don't need their MacDonald (editor Tues 14 October WOLVERHAMPTON.
With Richard Rozanski.
Wed 15 October Thur 16 October WOLVERHAMPTON.
Lichfield St, Wolverhampton.
Wed 29 October 7.30pm in Labour are Fri 31 October PLYMOUTH.
Richard Rozanski perialist millions. quite different from the Islam of the Iranian masses, just as Catholicism means something Polish the H-Block prisoners than it does to the Catholic hierarchy It is a tiny bit chauvinist that Islam than Catholicism Yet that is what is posed. The movement has to go forward if it is not to be And the strike leaders themselves recognise that to do this they the international working class money so much as printing presses and their advice and experience/ British workers should not remain silent in the face of such ap Forums on Poland SOCIALIST Challenge forums on returned from Poland) and Oliver of Labour Focus on Eastern Europe).
Polytechnic 1pm.
BRENT. Tessa van Gelderen (IMG) debates 7.50pm Anson Hail, Anson d, capacity. personal Posada pub 7.30pm Richard Rozanski and Oliver MacDonald.
YORK. Ipm University Soc Soc meeting anc and Co-op rooms, Micklegate. Both with Richard Rozanski Polytechnic meeting with
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'We showed we know how to start and end a strike.'
'We don't need their money so much as printing presses, and their advice and ex-
behind them as a counterweight to the Walesa said last week about such
Poland featuring Steve Griffiths and Richard Rozanski (recently