THE POLISH government is staging a carefully organised counter-attack against the independent union Solidarity. Last weekend it tried to provoke a split in the movement by falsely claiming that its leaders had agreed to a one hundred per cent rise in cigarette prices.
When the Solidarity demanded the suspension ultre bicicase pending negotiations with government, authorities refused to budge and defied Solidarity to do anything about it.
This new 'tough' image may well herald a shake-up the Dally heirarchy.
Rumours abound in Warsaw that Stefan Olszowski is soon to replace Stanislaw Kania as Party leader. Such a move is in preparation for the coming_conover economic reform and workers' self-manageLast week's Solidarity congress not only voted against parliament's compromise DiLl selfmanagement, it also voted censure the union leaders who had negotiated it with the government.
Instead the union will continue to press for the alternative positions workers' self-management to be decided by a referendum of the workers. The differences selfrevolve around who has the final say on appointing factory directors and disputes within plant the Party or the workers.
But government have been busy on other Having considered the whole matter i think l shall vote tor vvalesi fronts attacking the Polish workers. There have been a spate of arrests of union for allegedly publishing anti-Soviet Silesia.
He was charged with actions "Thr the Polish the alliances of the Republic' for publishing an explanation of what was happening in the country in Russian, aimed at Russian troops; and for publishin greetings to the congres Tomassan workers' group. If convicted he faces ten years in prison.
The censors too have been busy removing articles Solidarity's press Two articles were removed the September edition of the union's Tygodnik Solidarnosc. One was the Solidarity message to the workers of Eastern Europe.
The other was an appeal Solidarity attackeo Solidarity's message, that they should visit Poland to sep themselves what the union was doing.
Another article to fall foul of the censor's pen Wa four members of the com Solidarity's union for the police. have translated the interview from Le Monde and reproduce it below.
Relations In development the general secretary of the Hungarian official haue umons nas watten lo Solidarity suggesting the establishment of relations between the two union movements clearly shows how far the bureaucastern Europe have come to regard the existence of Solidarity as inevitable in the short term, however unpalatable It is now up to the labour novement West to show the Polish workers that their allies are the Hungarian bureaucrats, DUL the workers of the in the stuggle fo socialism and workers power.