End Martial Law in Poland

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IAN MCLEISH from Rutherglen LPYS outlines events in Poland over the last two years.

Solidarity's determination to continue against martial law was shown again on the second anniversary of Solidarity's birth, with demonstrations where several workers and prisonou anu auyune WULACID auu pcasano. found ignoring the law We cannot stand idly by would be shot on sight. while bureaucrats attempt Congress Even under such vicious to smash them. We have to repression, even aiter continue the battle to win The PUWP was also workers had been shot, active support for Solidarcracking though. Hund- thousands were determined nosc in the British Labour reds of thousands had to keep fighting. Workers Movement. left the Party and roughly disrupted production in End Martial Law! one in three of its member- factories, miners occupied The Labour Movement ship had joined Solidar- pits, demonstrations con- must break links with the nosc. It was quickly losing tinued, and Solidarnosc :Stalinist bureaucrats!

CAMPAIGN were shot dead.

AUGUST 31 1980 is seen as the birth of Solidarnosc. The ruling Stalinist bureaucracy in Poland was forced to the negotiating table as the result of & widespread strike, occupations and the formation of inter-factory committees (NKS).

The strikes began in the Lenin shipyards, Gdansk on August 14, involving 1700 workers. 1,000's more joined them daily, so by August 25 the NKS grouped over 400 factories representing hundreds of thousanda of workers. The agreement which Lech Walesa and the Vice Premier signed was the first and only one of its kind, a guarantee of the right of existence to an independent trade union movement. It also included a whole list of other demands from wage rises to maternity leave. From bitter experience the workers knew that any agreements would be clawed back by the State, everything had to be fought ing class militancy had erupted again. This time in a genera strike of over six million workers demanding wage rises and ассевв to the media. At the same time the ruling party (the PUWP) system could be reformed after all. Solidarnosc did not start out to confront the system head on, rather it wanted to organise a trade union which would gradually change things bit by bit. But any such illusions were soon to be confronted themselves. Faced with mich a priaie the onvernment, now headed by General Jaruzelski, went on the attack.

In March two leading members of KOR (Social Defence Committee) were detained and placed under alnes annarsiains In angler cide supervis. 1 cany April many Solidarnos militants were severely beaten and hospitalised. This incident sparked a major split in Solidarnosc's ranks. Resentment from militants to Walesa's moderate stand had grown oyer the months and some resigned leading positions mhan ho didn't romand firmly to these attacks. grip of the situation. In September delegates gathered from all over Poland at the Solidarnosc congress. The issue of workers control quickly became critical and the Walesa leadership was challenged by the more radical wing of the movement. They demanded withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact and no moderation of Solidarnose's aims and struggle. This mood for more open militancy culminating in demands for free elections, legalisation of • political nartioe and a derlaratinn of a general strike for December 17 meant that Solidarnosc had gone far beyond being a trade union. It had become the alternative to the government. Jaruzelski (who by this time was alan Dosto landaull danidna also rary leauery uttrutu this was the best time to 'Crusade against totali.. tarianism', • i.e., against Solidarnosc!

On December 15 he declared war on the Polishi working class - martial law. Poland was cut off from the rest of the world. Solidarnosc leaders were arrested was still intact, albeit underground with an estimated membership of one million.

More and more workers are now defying martial law, as August 31 approaches. The anniversary of the beginning of the Lenin shipyard strike saw a turnout of at least 10,000 in Gdansk. This demon: stration and all the others too were attacked by the police. The next few weeks in Poland could be critical. The government may decide to crack down further by disbanding, Solidarnose totally (officially it is suspended). An exiled Solidarnose leader in Britain recently said that the fight could continue for years. That they are no longer working for 'some corrections to the system, that is long gone. The system has had more than enough chance to correct itself during Solidarnosc's legal existence.' Beacon The Polish workers have lit a beacon for the world's workers and. Maasanto women accompanied by an agitation bus, women's music, theatre and films. At each stopping off point loads of people would meet the demo at locally organised rallies and other such events.

A march like this would give a focus for local groups to organise around. No doubt other proposals will be brought to this conference.

The YS must continue to support the Campaign for a Woman's Right to Work. I urge all Women in the YS to come to the mobilising conference and to support the Women's March for