Trade Union work

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'Solidarity Underground: Free trade unionism Poland today' is a new pamphlet by Magda Zalewska, Henryk Gawinski, and John Taylor, published by the Polish Solidarity Campaign. 50p plus postage from PSC, 186 Avenue Road, London W3. ROUND army methods, with us as the subjects and him as a more or less benign monarch. But this is a utopia. He is a greater utopian than Gierek. The true realists are today with Solidarnosc.

You were always an opponent of conspiracy. Now you have altered your views...

The situation has changed. The leaders who are in hiding are indispensible - they are the symbols of the le whole has changed here for the better, nothing at all.

Even artists, actors and writers still appear to pose a danger to the social order that Jaruzelski dreams of. Martial law was allegedly imposed to prevent a civil war. It now appears that the spokesmen for this war are artists, actors and writers. We have already been through this situation, though, during the Stalinist era, and we know how it ends. In terror.

Are you afraid of being deported?

It has been suggested to Jacek Kuron - even quite recently - that he could emigrate at any time. The same suggestion has been put to me, and we are probably not the exceptions. It could be that Jaruzelski considers this to be a "umanitarian gesture; I could, after all, be shot for spying for, let us say, the United States. Why not? The Polish judiciary are the most liberal in the world when it comes to interpreting the evidence. But emigration does noi interest me at all.

It would be far more useful fur Poland if Jaruzelski, Olszowski and Kiszczak were to leave. Life in this country suits me, even in prison. I prefer not to think about deportation Polish penal law does not foresee such a possibility. I understand however, that the government may be considering this. As long as we remain in prison, no one with any intelligence will believe that "order prevails in Warsaw"

[Tygodnik Mazowsze, No. 61, 8 September 1983]. ONE aspect of the turn by the Provos towards politics and 'the community' is an attempt to organise in the trade unions. The following report from An Phoblacht shows how they see their work in the unions.

ABOUT 40 people from Derry, Dungiven, Dublin and Belfast attended a day school on Republicanism and Socialism - Developing Revolutionary Politics, in Derry city on Saturday October 22. The day school focussed on ways trade unionists can raise socialist issues in the trade union movement.

Paddy Bolger, Sinn Fein national organiser, led the morning session on Republicanism and Trade Unions. He stated that the only period of history where republicans were active within the trade union movement on a major scale was during Connolly's time.

After Connolly, the trade union movement distanced itself from the national question. Bolger argued that the emphasis on trade union activity must be in the twenty-six counties where it would be possible to raise the national question with workers using this to develop our socialist aims. The major difficulty facing republican trade unionists in the six counties is the autonomy of the Northern Ireland Committee of the ICTU, granted by the ICTU in 1964.

In the afternoon two workshops were held. In the plenary session following the workshops suggestions for possible activities were made. The Youth Unemployment workshop suggested the following activities.

*Gathering accurate figures on the level of unemployment among youth in nationalist and Loyalist areas.

*Preparing document recording young people's experiences, good and bad, of the various youth training schemes.

*It was felt that Sinn Fein should not be telling people not to join the YIP, but rather demand better training, content and activities.

*Sinn Fein, it was felt, should not control action but rather facilitate any activity by young people.

*Trade unionists should take up the demand for union rates for work done when young people go out on 'work experience' Suggestions from the three workshops on Sectarianism in the Workplace were that:

*Trade unionists could quite easily raise discussion and possible action around the FEA (Fair Employment Agency)...

*A very important area of work would be developing propaganda for twenty-six counties consumption around the FEA.

No concrete conclusions were made by the day school as it was widely recognised that this was simply a beginning, and a useful one, for those participating. The overall emphasis was aimed at trade union activities being coordinated, and related to activities within the community, with particular emphasis on the need to provide information and propaganda to workers in the twenty-six counties.

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Socialist Organiser no. 153 November 3 1983 Pag