LABOR

WARSAW — Seven million strong, the All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions, known here as the OPZZ, is proving it- self as the self-governing independent trade union movement it set out to be- come four years ago.

While anti-communists within the Brussels-based International Confedera- tion of Free Trade Unions were trying to give Solidarnosc, (also based in Brus- sels), the ‘‘kiss of life’? by accepting its affiliation, OPZZ was holding its second congress during the last four days of No- vember.

More than 1,400 delegates took part in the congress that saw more than 500 Interventions made during the plenary Sessions and commission meetings.

The debates were sharp and critical.

- Not only the OPZZ’s performance since last year’s congress, but the Alliance’s members of parliament in the Sejm, and the state and economic administration oe under the delegates’ critical scru- iny.

_ Re-elected to the presidency of the Al- liance, Alfred Miodowicz summed up the role trade unions are called upon to play in socialist Poland.

‘Although socialism liquidates ex- ploitation’’ he said, ‘‘it doesn’t auto- matically eliminate conservative moves, errors, distortions or ordinary stupidity.

““That’s why we think that the exis- tence of strong, class trade unions, inde- pendent of the administration, serves the consolidation of socialism.”’

Miodowicz said that the Polish trade unions, in order to be authentic and cre- dible ‘“‘must demand implementation of social expectations.

“Even if these expectations are not fulfilled to the full, but only partially, which under the present circumstances can be justified, we must know exactly what are the true reasons for it and in what degrees it is determined by really objective factors, as opposed to pro- Crastination of the central .administra- tion’s planning and decision making.”’

His view was underlined by Wojciech Jaruzelski, leader of the Polish United Workers Party. ‘“‘We’ve found that deformations within the labor movement mevitably contribute to corruption of the

whole socio-economic structure of the

country.

“Thus, strong socialist trade unions — the largest organizations of the working People — are an indispensable stabilizer of the people’s state.”’

The congress’ main document out-

lined the role trade unions see for them- selves in Poland’s recovery. It demanded stable prices for food and other essential commodities; opposed extending work- ing time if it can’t be justified for tech- nological or economic reasons; sup- ported state subsidies to produce con- sumer goods but opposed unjustified subsidies to unprofitable enterprises; and reserved the right of the unions to set the minimum level of the social living stan- dards as the basis from which welfare and economic policies will be based.

The document also focused on the country’s housing crisis, demanding that investment allocations in the national socio-economic plan for housing con- struction be increased even if it means shifting investment from other alloca- tions.

In fact the congress program was criti- cal of the projected national economic plan for failing, “‘to take sufficient ac- count of the trade union stand and (to) meet social expectations.”’

The projected targets in the current national economic plan will not raise liv- ing standards fast enough the OPZZ document pointed out.

The central issue in the 1986-90 eco- nomic plan should be the restructuring of the Polish economy, the union stressed. ‘We believe that the improved supply of food and consumer goods, fulfillment of the demand for housing, health care, education, upbringing and culture, and halting the degradation of the natural en- vironment are tasks to which all plans concerning the working of the national economy (in the next four year period), should be subordinated’’, the document asserted.

Miodowicz also called for the con- vening of an all European trade union conference to advance the effective de- fence of working people’s interests in countries with different socio-political systems.

This was particularly important in the fight for peace, he said, where estab- lishing nuclear weapons free zones in Europe and the withdrawal by both sides of intermediate range missiles, ‘“would make a good start to building mutual confidence and security.”

The report also stressed the need for the OPZZ to restructure its international contacts, though it recognizes the com- plex environment in which this process would take place. It noted the coopera- tion it has received from trade unions in the socialist world as well as the restora-

The renewed Polish trade union movement, expressed in the OPZZ, is oriented on

developing strong, independent and class trade unions to guarantee the implementation of social expectations and the consolidation of socialism.

tion of some contacts with labor in the developing countries and the capitalist world.

In a press conference following the OPZZ congress, Miodowizc said the tim- ing of Solidarnosc’s admission to the ICFTU, and the World Confederation of Labor, was designed to undermine the congress’ credibility and the Alliance’s recent move to join the International Labor Organization.

The ILO’s recognition of the Polish trade unions he said will lead to a situa- tion where structures like Solidarnosc will have no real basis for representation in international organizations.

Some 56 foreign delegations attended the OPZZ congress, including repre-

.sentatives from the World Federation of

Trade Unions, the Soviet trade union central — AUCCTU, the Austrian trade union federation, the All China Federa- tion of Trade Unions, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Union of Namibian Workers, the General Union of Palestin-

Protest makes ‘Mothers’ pay

ian Workers and Nicaragua’s Sandinista Trade Union Central.

In a joint statement on behalf of all the foreign delegates, read to the Congress by Nicaragua’s Damasco Vargas Loaia- siga, the delegates from abroad noted how they could, “‘see for themselves that the Polish working people and nation have been taking vast efforts to head off their economic problems. . .”’

The statement went on: “‘The repre- sentatives of the fraternal organizations express their full support and respect for the new direction of the Polish trade unions, seeing them as capable of defend- ing the interests of the working people and expecting that this new road will lead to the consolidation of the labor move- ment in Poland.”

Vargas added that the fraternal or- ganizations, “‘are convinced that the Po- lish working people, trade unions and nation will overcome all difficulties and wish them success in the implementation of the task.”’

iF YOu THINK THE TORY ORUG PLAN MEANS CHEAP DRUGS Fak

ST. JOHN, N.B. — Fighting Mad about losing their last week’s Pay when their boss went bank- Tupt, 63 Mothers Restaurant Workers forced company big wigs to “come home”’ to the workers with the money owing them.

The restaurant had closed Oct.

8 over a dispute about rent be- tween the company that owned the franchise and the manage- Ment of Market Square, a local Shopping mall where the res- taurant was located.

Following the closure the com- Pany successfully petitioned and that left the workers out in the Cold as far as their back pay and

nefits were concerned. Under federal laws, employees are treat-

as unsecured creditors, so are

the last to be considered when creditors are to be paid.

In practice this usually means they don’t get a nickel.

But the workers had other plans. With Christmas approach- ing, they launched a protest cam- paign in early December aimed at marshaling public support for changes in the federal legislation that would protect workers’ wages and benefits in the wake of a company bankruptcy.

They marched through the streets of St. John to underscore their plight and the injustice-in- flicted on them by the wealthy, Ontario-based corporation.

About a week before Christ- mas, St. John Common Council

voted to ask the provincial gov- ernment to exert whatever pres- sure might be needed to make sure the workers got their back pay and benefits.

Mothers is a company that trades heavily on, and makes healthy profits from its ‘‘family”’ image and so the mounting public pressure in St. John moved com- pany honchos in Burlington, On- tario to initiate a little damage control.

At the same time the company is planning a major expansion in the Maritimes over the next 18 months with plans to open res- taurants in Halifax, Fredericton, St. John’s Nfld., and Sydney.

So Mothers president Jerry White announced on Dec. 17 that

the company would present the workers with ‘“‘pre-Christmas’’ cheques representing the $12,000 the former franchise owner owed the workers. In addition, the new owner agreed to give the 63 for- mer Mothers workers the first crack at the 70 new jobs to be created when the restaurant re- opens.

About 50 workers were on hand Dec. 23 to see White play Santa Claus with their back wages, but seizing an opportunity to milk a bit more public relations out of the

situation, he decided to make the ‘

$12,000 a gift, that wouldn’t have any bearing on whatever clairns were outstanding with regards to back pay and benefits owing them.

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JANUARY 21, 1987 e 7