STEFAN PALKA is a 31-year-old electrician at the Manifest-Lipcowy which employs some 9000 miners. At different times he was chair and deputy chair of Solidarnosc in the Silesia region. West since November 1981, as an official guest of the French trade unions. He is currertly touring the pits in regional bodies Mineworkers. He was interviewed by ANDY MILLER after the recent miners' gala.
What was the role of the official trade union?
wasn't real trade union. It didn't defend the menoers. TACI ficial trade union defended interests Stalinist bureaucracy against pressure from the workers. You found very often that the union bureaucrats would sign redundancy slips for people the managers wanted to get rid of. They did this without batting an eyelid. How did the 1980 strike wave start in Silesia?
Manifest-Lipcowy. was elected chairperson of the strike committee and inter-factory committee was formed. There were many delegations "CLy from the government. vas very difficult to react an agreement. rOI stance workers wanted their demands so that the people in Gdansk would know what they were doing. The authorities wouldn't agree to this for a long time.
the DONILS Jastrzebie agreement was MUCH stronger than those For instance age miners instance miners stated very strongly Saturdays should be free for everybody. Other points called for provements economy and the lifting of privileges TOT Lne police, security forces and party bosses.
Could you describe the atmosphere Manifest-Lipcowy?
It was verv tense. We knew the very beginning •hat we were going to stick it out. At the moment they :ook over the mine. the miners became the true owners or ine mine ana despite many provocations :he workers took great care of the machinery.
After taking over sang the 'the Red Flag', as well as national Polish congs. We sang the internationale' because at that moment we wanted to take back from the bureaucrats what they had taken from the workers. In this song we were all united.
was the background of the Solidarnosc activists?
Mostly they were young and new to this kind of activity, Though there were people who had formerly. ocen Involved in struggies. Quite simply young people Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982 pit Upper Silesia He has been in the Britain, and meetin= various National Union of Nottinghamshire are more radical, decisive. They have less to s. They were more don't have JOSC families.
willing to get involved.
Could you say something about union democracy Solidarnosc?
Of course democracy was very strong in Solidarnosc. Democracy was the guarantee that the union did become bureaucratised. last weekend's Notts Miners' gala period of office was two vears. rections wentron the lowest level up to the floor and going up to the National Commullet At all times they were secret.
There was a paragraph allowing for recall of officials. There was a satety net against people manipulating the union or selling out the bureaucracy or directors. un each level the union representative could be by general meeting.
was it that the resisted such determination after martial law at Wujek and other mines? Due to the nature of their decisive and courageous. It's also due to the high level of The Polish nooners of Polish workers. The workers knew what they were fighting for. They are very conscious of what is going on.
So what are conditions like in the mines now? Since martial law condiLUIS the mine have become oppressive. Most of the large factories and enterprises especially the coal mines have been marised "he directors are HOW military comand decide about everything.
What has happened to the those 'Stand by the nurses' train drivers' leader Ray Buckton told who have been killed or internet Their situation is very bad. Workers' self-help committees have been set up Solidarnosc members in the West are calling for the adoption of internees and their families.
conditions did Polish miners face Solidarnosc terms health and safety at work?
In effect health and safety A lot of accidents were caused by the negleci of the regulations but also by fatigue among the workers because the was systeill engineered that the workers could barely af ford to take sick leave. As for the working week the system that operated was the traditional three shift system with six days work and a free Sunday. But Sundays more lost fred Sundays were lost miners were. forced to work on them too.
In the West many workers are confused when they see Solidarnosc being praised by people like Reagan and Thatcher.
Indeed, it is strange, this support for Solidarnosc Thev are doing it for then own ends. think they workers divide theironish workers Polish workers, because what interest did Reagan have in making his whole show of the direct threat of intervention the Kremlin sending tanks, we need them mobilise our support through strikes or protests so that the bosses don't get lo yom nanas with Stalinism.
The image that was put over the television coverage was Solidarnosc very religious and very nationalist.
Solidarnose Solidarnosc. Its external picture is ene cucuon or lne meala For example the unveiling of the monument in Poz nan to those who were killed in 1956. The celebra tions lasted a whole day and were very powerful. A lot of statements were made and there was a big demonstration. The media showed Mass and the bishops go. 10 21 un in the mass media And this shown here too. Of course people in Poland are religious but this is something separate The Church tried to influence discussions within Solidarnosc but the workers did not follow them.
What would you say to the accusations in the ebruar Yorkshire Miner that Solidarnosc was harbouring elements that had as much to do socialism as Margaret Thatcher?
I would like to put a question to the journalist who wrote this Would he call the struggle for workers self-government, for control, for WOrKCIS workers' rights in a coun these rights should belong to the workers. return capitalism? It sounds like something from a Polish newspaper.
Could you sum up what Solidarnosc stands for as you see it?
The Polish revolution.
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