Network of Union Solidarity
Will they legalise Solidarnosc? THE CRISIS of Poland's stalinist regime of General Jaruzelski has now been marked by a capitulation' of some signilicance - the agreement to include Tech Walesa. former leader of the Solidarnose union lederation, in negotiations.
Given their absolute retural to contemplate anything of the kind in previous declarations, this has to he seen as a sign bf the chronic instahility of the regime, taced as it is by economic crisis and recurrent waves of working class militancy.
Strikes in the proletarian bastons of Gdansk, Silesia and Szczecin, in the mincs, ports. stoclmills and shipyards, among others, were characterised by militant occupations led by a new generation oF vounger richcal workers,
The Walesa leadership retams considerable prestige - hence his involvement in these talks. Yet though his prestige and symbolic significance undoubtedly remain consideruhle, his ability to carry forward the deep hostility of the Polish workers towards the hureaucracy, expressed, for example, in the recent plebiscite on the cconomy: is questionable;
Though the majority of the Walesa team recomendod abstenton, and some support, the result was a resounding rejection of Jaruzelski's demand for a Polish version of perestroika, with a high proportion of no' votes:
Genenil Kiwzczac's indication that die aim of the hureaucracy is to incorporale apposition leaders into official institutions" ominous warning of the potential of Walesa's stralegy
Walesa's lendership has been characterised by a strategy of recoticihation with the Jaruzelski governent. Far from building on the waves of unrest which have forced The bureaucracy into negotiation. Walesa's response negotiation. was to call for an end to the strikes, without having gained any concrele concessions.
Not surprisingly, the response from some of those layers in volved in the action was hostile. though many strikers voted to call off their action in response.
UP DAT Is Walesa convincing enough?
Though Walesa claimed to: have raised the issuc" of the unbanning of Solidamosc, il 1s surely not through the politics ofretreat and reconciliation that this will be forced from the regime. His words