WEEK Massey Ferguson's unanimously to black all supplies of parts shipped from Poland. We asked LES HARTOPP, a Socialist Challenge supporter who works at the factory, to tell us more about this action.
What is the background to the blacking vote?
martial law the joint shop stewards committee exchanged the Solidarnosc organisation at the Ursus tractor plant (naer Warsaw. Piotr nOZIOWSKI, Solidarnosc leader Ursus, is a member of the Solidarnosc trade union in Britain and spoke to the stewards.
He appealed on behalf of Solidarnosc for Massey workers to black parts supplied from Ursus on a £700,000 contract.
week Piotr adaressea mass days and nights where the crewares recommended that we should not handle COLIOULICHILS that come of a tremendous 2ull display working Class solidarity the the recommendation. All Ine workes de nuw wcaling Solidarnoso badges.
Lech Walesa addresses the Ursus workers before the December's military crackdown January issue out now!
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Socialist Challenge thousand workers at Coventry plant voted How will this blacking help the Polish workers?
The Solidarnosc represenurged Massey Lative workers to take this direct action in support of their brothers and sisters When work on the Polish workers Mill Polish workers KOW they lave suboull despite the bureaucrats' isolate them the workers' Huycullcil The first response of the Polish workers to martial law was to occupy and go strike. They weren't mistakenly worsening the effects the bureauracy's austerity measures on themselves.
They are struggling audios bureaucrats' attempts to reconstruct the allu their grip on Polish society under martial law. This is a political struggle. When British workers respond to Solidarnosc's appeals to Ernest Mandel on black Polish goods unes are helping to win this SUrUeLIC.
Don't you think there is a danger that blacking action will play into the hands of Reagan's anticommunist boycott and further strangle the Polish economy, making things worse for the Polish masses?
I'm surprised at the question. General Jaruzelski accuses Solidarnosc damaging Poland by strikIng agalist tre burcauciatic mismanagement of the economy and Polish society. In order to remove the bureaucracy and establish democratic power, the workers' movement Poland and internationalWill use methods of class struggle including occubalions. strikes and solidarity blacking.
If workers demonstrate outside the Polish embassy do they hands plate nte organise to send material, food and medical aid are suckco IOLO une manoeuvres of the Vatican? If trade unionists condemn the military repression does this place them on the same side as Thatcher?
As for boycott, Socialist Challege has recently pointed out Lial hypocritical progagand putting little effort into a calliDaikl The boycott. This could be solely because their own domestic economies can't stand a boycott. However Chancellor Schmidt for example clearly doesn't see a boýcott as the best way vival Polish bureaucrats, and with that the long term security of West Germany's repayments.
Finally ois the significance the Massey's blacking tion?
It is certainly not inspired propaganda, , quite the reverse. This blacking action is an inspiration for other workers to follow the lead for independent working class action in support o the Polish workers.
There has been some hesitation throughout the labour movement, fearful solidarity lila Solidarnosc will be seen to endorse Reagan's war-mongering hypocrisy.
Direct workers' action as at Massey's stands in sharp a Lancashire association of trades councils back Solidarnosc nosc whilst simultaneously, In states, justifying the racist regime, its military occupation Zimbabwe, and the Seychelles.
conspiring to Soviet workers as plans, Cuba, Grenada and Nicaragua, workers, while seeking in their own countries sexual and racial equality.
internationally can we therefore call for:
a) an end to repression and martial law b) the release of all political prisoners states, d) food aid for the Polish workers, e) material aid to Solidarnosc by the TUC f) trade union delegations to visit Poland, g) labour movement ed and future trades problems facing the Polish workers and solidarity with Solidarnosc Passed hy TUC quarterly on 23 January.
Tractors lie idle at the Ursus plant outside Warsaw contrast to empty reactlonary talk of a boycott.
Actions like this will stimulate the building of a powerful campaign in the movement in solidarity with the Polish WULACIS nuevenderi of the Cold War warriors.
Already following Massey's is planned vote big meeting LICAL week to launch a Polish solidarity campaign in Coventry. The meeting is in room D14, , Lanchester Poly 7.30pm On February.
This County Association condemns the sheer deceit of those who claim to defend Solidara) conspiring to prop up military dictatorships South African of Namibia and its incursions into Mozambique, Angola, escalale the number of nuclear warheads in Europe pointing at the heads of the Polish and other European and part of their Cold War c) sabotaging the economies and preparing contingency plans for the military invasion of d) arresting and jailing striking and picketing even further legal restrictions to undermine the ability of unions to yoUC the democratic right to a job, a living wage and Only the labour and trade union movement legitimately defend its right to an independent existence. In Poland c) no intervention in Poland by outside nation speakers under the auspices of the TUC to h) resolutions and discussion to be encourag councils and branch meetings to continue the discussion on the movemen conference to discuss the situation in Poland of Lancashire association of trades councils to go 1o North Wesi
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Bulk orders 28 January 1982
JANUARY 82 POLAND & THE LEFT omic Disaster
and Solidarnosc