Polish Militants Move Towards Workers Control
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-08-06Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 16 →
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IN A mounting wave of anger against the proposprice increases of 200% and 400%, and the cut in August meat rations, workers and their families have been demonstrating and strikFor the first time since the struggles began last year, demonstrators, particularly women, have taken to the streets. The biggest of these demonstrations was one of over 10,000 women and childin Lodz, Poland's second city, last ThursMost of the marchers have been behind simple Strikes have taken place in Warsaw and more are planned for next week, culminating in the call for a one-day general August, proposed by both The situation of shortages of such • basics as sugar, as well as meat, has made the workers of anmost tams es reat deat time just The leadership of Solidarity has come under ership talks of accepting the government's measures so long as 'real workThey have been caught er self-government' takes the masses of Poland are demandino that the measULILL ures are not rejected aleconomy, they have limit- together. demands which would At the same time, the simply reform the system. mass struggle is continuously posing the issue of their struggle is "a revol- workers' control over industry and the economy.
The Solidarity represlead- entative at the state airSAMI ikeit.t: in t line LOT, speaking on their struggle to choose their own manager, said that "this kind of workers' control demand should spread all over At Bydgoszcz, eighty factory representatives, meeting last week, demanded the initiation of workers' management.
At a rally in Warsaw outside the Sejm (parliament), on Friday, 300 workers put forward WIT 1 IRZĄ Warsaw Solidarity resolution demanding, as well as more food and supplies, "a public inspection: of all documents concernine production. distribution, export and import of food"
All of this poses the fight for genuine workers' control - which can only be achieved by a political revolution to overthrow the Polish bureaucracy, something the Solidarity leadership is not willing to fight for.
June