SHALL WE CALL A GENERAL STRIKE? TRANSCRIPT OF A HISTORIC MEETING OF SOLIDARITY
Brumberg, Abraham
The document below is a somewhat abridged translation of a report on the meeting of Solidarity's highest body, the National Coordinating Committee (KKP), which took place in the western Polish...
...But the pressure for a decisive "blow" from all over the country kept steadily mounting...
...They gathered in Targowica in order to appeal to Empress Catherine II of Russia for aid against the lawful government of their own country...
...Bujak: Is of the opinion that a general strike should be proclaimed after a wide discussion about the date, and after all arguments for or against the proposed dates are considered...
...ABRAHAM BRUMBERG KKP (Krajowa Komisja Porozumewawcza) — Solidarity's National Coordinating Committee...
...The general strike should last until it is proved successful, that is, until all the demands are fulfilled...
...reaction...
...It served notice that henceforth Solidarity must indeed be considered a full-fledged "partner" of the government, and that its collaboration must be sought in solving all the country's problems— from alcoholism to the implementation of farreaching economic reforms, from preserving law and order to the running of schools, hospitals, newspapers, and trains...
...Szczecin: Supports the last two speakers...
...By midJuly (the month when this issue of Dissent reaches its readers), the Party's long-postponed "extraordinary congress" is to take place, and secret elections to various party bodies now also are underway...
...The whole discussion reminds him of a meeting of an army high command after a victorious war, while in fact we are faced with the problem of how to win it...
...Some members criticize Walesa's behavior, nevertheless...
...We have already taken many dramatic decisions that amounted to concessions and only encouraged the authorities...
...Which is another reason why the report on Solidarity's meeting of March 23-24 may yet come to be seen as one of those historic documents reflecting the birth pangs of a new era...
...The strike will not fail if the confrontation takes place not as Solidarity vs...
...Demands regarding legality and the political prisoners must not be subjects to negotiations, but conditions for starting the talks...
...He thinks the discussions should commence on Friday, because an announcement of a universal strike may well bring about a change in the correlation of forces...
...This is significant in the international realm as well...
...The MKZs are left to work out their own organizational details, but the latter of the two alternatives (to stay put) is passed.] Sila-Nowicki: Is of the opinion that the newly elected National Strike Committee [KKS] should decide whether to continue the strike, or to terminate it...
...295 while this is his area, he nevertheless believes that the list of demands should not be diluted...
...BOGDAN Lis — vice-chairman of the Gdansk Solidarity chapter...
...Kuron: Says that he, too, would resign from his position as a Solidarity expert if not for the present situation...
...It was against the background of these tumultuous events that the meeting of the KKP, summarized below, took place...
...The harassment of political opponents noticeably declined...
...Zielona Gora (Niezgoda): Says it would be best to call a general strike for Friday, for people would only be exhausted from a warning strike...
...He moves that the discussion be postponed until the following morning, at which time the duration and form of the strike will be decided...
...for a while it seemed as if the promised discussions were about to begin...
...The document below is a somewhat abridged translation of a report on the meeting of Solidarity's highest body, the National Coordinating Committee (KKP), which took place in the western Polish town of Bydgoszcz this year on March 23-24...
...Solidarity members and a few farmers attended the meeting...
...Further, Modzelewski says that he would resign as the press spokesman of the KKP, but now this would be a sign of cowardice, and so he won't do it...
...A warning strike would show the Party, Poland, and Moscow that this group has no support, and that the command that Party members not take part in the strike has failed...
...This may tip the balance in favor of those in the leadership who are inclined to reach an agreement with Solidarity...
...The preliminary condition for discussions must be an assurance from the government that it retains full control over the activities of the MO and MSW...
...Sieradz: Proposes a warning strike for Friday 3/27, and a general strike starting on Monday, with four regions striking at one time, to be replaced by the same number of regions every two days...
...Therefore it is necessary to consider not only how to enter into a strike, but also how to withdraw from it without destroying all that has been achieved since last August...
...Those branches of the economy that serve the population—not only the health services, food services, and the like, but also certain retail-trade and industry branches— must be exempt from the strike...
...if that in turn does not influence the government, a general strike is to start 3/31...
...There were no mass meetings in Katowice.] Kuron: Apologizes for taking the floor at this important moment and asks Walesa to explain what he had in mind about being forced to be explicit on matters pertaining to him [Kuron] and Modzelewski...
...All our achievements," said Solidarity Chairman Lech Walesa some time in March (I quote from memory), "were attained only by the threat and use of force, pressure, and strikes...
...RKS (Robotniczy Komitet Strajkowy) — Workers' Strike Committee...
...Szczecin (Jurczyk): Urges that thorough consideration be given to the proposals before any decision is taken...
...Walesa's proposal is submitted to another vote, and is passed 35 to 2, with four abstentions: in case the Wednesday talks yield no results, to launch a warning strike on 3/ 27...
...He says this is his decision, made without the participation of experts...
...Some thought, only a general strike can finally bring the government to its knees...
...Perhaps after so many hours we cannot make any sensible decisions on the matter...
...The view of the Torun enterprises represented in the joint committee is that it wasn't Solidarity that desired a confrontation, and that a compromise is therefore unacceptable...
...First Session — the Evening of March 23, 1981 Gorzow: Proposes general strike to begin on 3/24...
...He adds that it is imperative also to draw up a complete list of the Union's demands, and to insist that they be implemented immediately...
...If Mazowiecki, Geremek, Olszewski, and he are denied the opportunity to elucidate their views, he will walk out...
...297 Zielona Gora (Niezgoda): The KKP has deliberated late into the night on matters less weighty than this, and now some people say we ought to go to bed...
...But to suspend the talks may provide the authorities with an opportunity to undertake certain actions against the Union, to which, for reasons of time, we shall not be able to respond...
...Tycha: Doubts whether all members of the KKP have managed to get in touch with their regional organizations...
...Slupsk: A general strike should be preceded by a warning strike...
...But could it last...
...Jaruzelski's government is the last chance for a peaceful solution of Poland's problems...
...Perhaps all this would have happened even had the Bydgoszcz incident never occurred...
...He thinks a warning strike is necessary...
...the experts must not be reproached for trying to convince the KKP members to follow their advice, for this is their role...
...The atmosphere was fraught with tension: only two days earlier, the Warsaw Pact troops had launched extensive maneuvers in Poland, and Soviet troops were massing along the country's borders...
...After several years in jail, Modzelewski dropped out of the political picture, to reemerge in the summer of 1980 as press spokesman for Solidarity...
...Then a vote is taken on Walesa's proposal: on a warning strike preceding a general strike...
...Modzelewski: Appeals to everyone to consider all the parameters of the situation...
...If a strike is to take place, it must be organized with the greatest possible care...
...Seen from the perspective of two months later, Bidgoszcz appears to me as the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back...
...It is necessary to define precisely what is meant by a general strike, so as not to provide any pretext for the intrusion of any forces outside the country...
...Bytom (Cierniewski): Suggests the presentation of an ultimatum to the government during the discussions on Wednesday, as a response to the lack of guarantees for the safety of the Union...
...Celinski: Submits a motion that the Walesa proposal be voted upon again, but without any time limits...
...Not all the people on top are bad—some of them we would trust...
...Two members leave the hall to call Katowice and clear up this matter...
...We must not escalate the Bydgoszcz provocation into a national provocation...
...that timing, he says, will depend on its character: whether the strikers will take turns, or everyone will stay put...
...This appeal led to a new Russian invasion of Poland, already partitioned in 1772, and to the subsequent partitions of 1793 and 1795...
...He is of the opinion that a warning strike is necessary, if only to see whether, after the Politburo resolution, Party members will join the strike...
...Others felt that precipitous action might end in a catastrophe...
...ZBIGNIEW BUJAK —chairman of the "Mazowsze," Solidarity's Warsaw chapter, one of the country's biggest...
...The discussion turns to the subject of the prerogatives of the strike committee.] Slupsk: The committee must be vested exclusively with operational functions...
...that a hospital heretofore used exclusively by the elite be put at the disposal of the general public...
...On the following day the farmers managed to hold some talks with the vice-chairman of the People's Council, but these were soon broken off on the grounds that the local official had no authority to deal with demands pertaining to the country as a whole...
...In his region there have been some cases where attempts were made to settle things exclusively through strikes...
...Walesa: Notes that this is what experts are for—first to explain what is in fact the difference between a general strike and a universal [powszechny] strike...
...Poznan (Dymarski): Asks whether Walesa would consent to a change in the duration of the warning strike...
...Poznan (Dymarski): Asks that everyone speak in his or her name only...
...PSL (Po/skie Stronnictwo Ludowe) — the Polish Peasant party, headed by Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, which during the immediate post-World War II period attempted to cooperate with the CP, yet was liquidated in 1947...
...Sila-Nowicki: Reminds those present that until now all of the Union's decisions had been reached only after the experts had given their opinions...
...WLADYSLAW SILA-NowICKI — distinguished lawyer, adviser to Solidarity...
...The strike forced the Party to declare itself in favor of democratic internal reforms, and to work out a series of elaborate mechanisms for local and national cooperation between various governmental institutions and the trade unions...
...Five did...
...Discussions about the Bydgoszcz incident can only take place in Bydgoszcz...
...Again the authorities relented only after several thousand workers laid down their tools, with hundreds of thousands ready to follow...
...Solidarity's chairman was subjected to bitter criticism for his "arbitrariness," for acquiescing to formulations not backed by legal and institutional guarantees, for leaving certain matters (such as the question of censorship and access to mass media) either vague or altogether unresolved...
...Before I describe the circumstances under which the meeting took place, as well as its immediate consequences and long-range implications, a brief historical introduction is in order...
...On March 18, the farmers were joined by several Solidarity representatives...
...He proposes announcing a warning strike, and launching a wide propaganda campaign on the circumstances that had precipitated the present crisis...
...Walesa: Repeats his proposal: a warning strike on Friday, and a general strike as of Tuesday...
...runs a current Warsaw joke...
...Walesa: Moves that a four-hour warning strike be announced for Friday 3/27, and a general strike for Monday, 3/30...
...no one here can imagine a strike that includes absolutely all factories, community services, and the like...
...The latter promised to discuss it with Solidarity...
...But what happened here was an attack on the entire Union...
...Modzelewski appears on TV and reads the resolution that includes the strike demands...
...Outside the building, three Solidarity officials, including the chairman of the Bydgoszcz chapter, Jan Rulewski, were set upon by several "civilians" (no doubt secret police) who beat them mercilessly...
...Rzeszow (Kopaczewski): Is in favor of a general strike without a warning strike first, the date to be determined by the KKP...
...And the press, radio, and TV have acquired a new lease on life—so much so that the 291 need for the various "uncensored" publications has substantially diminished...
...TARGOWICA — A town in Poland and the meeting place, in 1792, of a group of Polish noblemen, who then were enraged by the promulgation of a new national Constitution that deprived them of considerable power...
...One must avoid creating a sense of fear in the adversary, for it may prompt an aggressive The speakers are identified by the towns they represent (such as Gorzow, Torun, Bydgoszcz), and in some cases also or only by their last names...
...Legnica (also representing Glogow and Lublin): Is in favor of a general strike on 3/27, and against any negotiations with the government until it specifically requests them...
...If the [military] maneuvers continue, if the MSW and the MO are no longer under the government's control, then the strike is the Union's form of self-defense...
...The warning strike, which took place on March 27, was singularly successful...
...since August 1980 one of Solidarity's experts, and now editor of Tygodnik Solidarnosc ( Solidarity Weekly), published since April '81...
...Note the suspicious attitude, on the part of some of the KKP members, toward the experts, possibly indicating a latent mistrust of "intellectuals" in general...
...A discussion regarding the venue of the committee—Gdansk, Bydgoszcz, or Warsaw...
...Gwiazda: Does not agree with the assertion that the Union is now confronted by its most dramatic decision...
...He says he has the support of the factory workers, that he could even come out against the whole KKP, but this isn't the time for settling accounts...
...also the chairman of the Council of the Consultative Program Committee (the executive body) of Solidarity's Center for Social Research, founded after the signing of and in accordance with the Gdansk Agreement of August 31, 1980...
...Cierniewski: Congratulates both for their political sophistication...
...On March 19, disaster struck...
...In assessing the situation in Poland, it must be remembered that there are differences of opinion on the other side, even though they may not be visible...
...A warning strike can suffice to demonstrate the fact that the Union is supported by the society as a whole...
...To announce a universal strike without setting its time limit is a decision on a national insurrection...
...The speaker goes on to propose the election of a strike committee that, rather than the whole KKP, should be in charge of the action, and it should not be located in Bydgoszcz, since the strike concerns the entire country...
...Modzelewski: Explains that Walesa is referring to the report by the AS (the press agency of Solidarity...
...Czestochowa (Wieczorek): Reads the resolution of the RKS, which includes among other points the punishment of those responsible for the Bydgoszcz events, a balance sheet of the various agreements [with the government] reached heretofore, and a proposal that the meeting not be terminated until an agreement is concluded...
...It should be composed of competent people, in whom we have full confidence...
...that Solidarity be given access (as stipulated by the Gdansk Agreement) to the public media...
...At one point, however—before the complainants had a chance to speak—the meeting was adjourned and a number of Council members, headed by their chairman and vice-chairman, left the room...
...Radom (Sobieraj): Is in favor of a general strike on 3/26...
...For four hours everything came to a standstill...
...This will demonstrate that the Union is strong and in control of the situation...
...On Monday, March 16, a group of farmers, representing the nascent Rural Solidarity and the dissident Agricultural Circles (a peasant self-help organization that the authorities tried to bolster in an attempt to undermine the 289 growing popularity of the farmers' trade union), gathered in front of the Bydgoszcz People's Council office in order to present their case to the authorities...
...Prof...
...Bujak: Says that in his view Walesa's behavior is dictated by his desire to avoid bloodshed...
...The threat of a general strike may put an end to the impasse...
...Poznan (Dymarski): Is against a warning strike, which can be likened to a see-saw apt to irritate the authorities and the Union...
...For: 23, against: 18.] Szulc: Reminds everyone that Rozplochowski had proposed that a vote nevertheless be taken on whether to have talks at all...
...our society is at the end of its tether, it must not be kept waiting...
...Grudziadz: The strike should be announced as soon as possible...
...We must state firmly that the Union is not attacking, but defending itself...
...The registration took place barely a day before the country was to be paralyzed by a general strike...
...However, following yet another stormy meeting on March 31, Walesa's decision carried the day...
...Although several investigation committees appointed by the Warsaw authorities came to Bydgoszcz, and although Deputy Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Rakowski—long-time editor of the weekly Polityka, who had repeatedly gone on record in favor of a "genuine partnership" with Solidarity—immediately launched a series of talks with Walesa, passions ran high...
...But it is more likely that the incident helped to break a dangerous impasse and served as a catalyst of changes apt to alter profoundly not only the face of Poland, but eventually of other Communist countries in Eastern Europe as well...
...The agreement, as it turned out, was not to the liking of all members of the KKP...
...He says he has nothing to hide...
...Glogow (Jarosz): The time for compromise has come to an end...
...It was clear to some of the Solidarity leaders, including its Chairman Lech Walesa, who rushed to the scene, that the incident was a provocation staged not so much by the Party leadership (Kania was out of Poland) as by diehard elements eager to precipitate a confrontation...
...now we are in a favorable situation, for the whole population is with us...
...8 of the Union's own Press Agency bulletin, published in Warsaw (another informational bulletin comes out in Gdansk...
...He does not want to assume responsibility for a decision that he believes will have tragic consequences...
...the proposal is accepted, and at 3 A.M...
...important decisions must be left to the KKP...
...Whether or not there were those within the highest party echelons who genuinely desired to reach an accommodation with the increasingly restive and self-assertive Polish society, their voices clearly did not prevail...
...The matter is put to a vote...
...As the proceedings of the meeting dramatically illustrate, some of the members were in no mood for compromise...
...Finding the gates locked, they repaired to the headquarters of the local United Peasant party (a bogus political organization ostensibly representing the peasants) and then proceeded to occupy it, declaring that the sit-in would continue until their demands were properly dealt with...
...In Modzelewski's opinion, the government needed the Sunday talks as a smoke screen, so that it could claim that the Union is pressing for a confrontation at a time when the discussions were still in process...
...Olsztyn (Lechowski): Supports the KKP version—that is, a warning strike on Friday to be followed by a general strike on Tuesday...
...hence he cannot reply to this question.] Voices: If this resolution has indeed been passed, it should be immediately annulled, for it is in contradiction with the Union's statutes...
...The same is true for other issues raised by Solidarity—the demand that particularly odious police and administrative officials be sacked...
...The first conflict with Solidarity occurred in October, when the authorities refused to let the Union be legally registered unless its statutes (as distinguished from the preamble) incorporated a formal recognition of the "leading role" of the CP...
...Submits a proposal that starting on Monday, the strike should be a "peripatetic" one, in successive regions, so that the possibility of turning it into a general national strike is not ruled out...
...Proposes a warning strike on Friday, and consultations with the local groups, followed by a meeting of the KKP on Monday that would take a decision on the strike...
...A few hours later, the vice-chairman returned and asked that the other Council members join him and his colleagues for "consultations...
...And even though the chance is slim, and the government—as we have seen— is impotent in the face of provocations, we cannot afford to ignore that slim possibility...
...Note, for instance, Walesa's personal tactics (sometimes bordering on blackmail), and his powerful charisma...
...Stalowa Wola (Krupka): Proposes that the Union's position be clearly formulated...
...He is convinced that if the Union does not defend itself, it will lose face with its rank-and-file, as well as with the government...
...the Government, but as the whole nation vs...
...The vote: this time, 19 for, 22 against, and I abstention.] Walesa: Thanks for everything...
...On the other hand, Solidarity bears responsibility for its members and it must keep that in mind...
...The end of the proceedings of the KKP in Bydgoszcz coincides with the formal emergence of the National Strike Committee, which is to work out strike instructions, and then will move to the Gdansk Shipyard.] Translated and edited by ABRAHAM BRUMBERG 299...
...He calls attention to the fact that in addition to the government and Solidarity there is yet another force—the basic Party organizations in the factories—which may act to the Union's benefit...
...It is the only solution, for what has happened in Bydgoszcz demonstrates that the government is not interested in talking with Solidarity...
...Now, what was remarkable about this sixmonth period was that despite accumulating bitterness, the confrontations were not accompanied by violence...
...What about the long-range consequences...
...He now speaks about our responsibility before history, and warns against adopting any hasty decisions...
...A 10-member group is elected, then increased to 11 members so as to avoid the possibility of an evenly split vote...
...A reputedly volatile people, subjected to nerveracking provocations and economic privations, was maintaining an extraordinary sense of discipline, restraint, and even good humor...
...His remark concerned merely the dissemination of information about the Warsaw KKP...
...In practice, this means that a universal strike must be limited in time...
...Demands that agreement must include punishment of those responsible for the Bydgoszcz events, registration of Rural Solidarity, creation of a Sejm committee monitoring the activities of the MSW and MO...
...Slupsk: If the government declares a state of emergency, a general strike must begin immediately...
...Rural Solidarity" was finally registered...
...When the latter (including the People's Council officials) refused, the police rushed in, dragging men and women by their hair, throwing them out of the building, to the accompaniment of "bloodcurdling cries," punchings, and beatings...
...Lis: Suggests that this matter be shelved temporarily...
...BRONISLAW GEREMEK — a historian and one of Solidarity's experts...
...The course of Poland's history might well have taken a drastically different turn if, say, the Union had decided to call a general strike, thus forcing the hand not only of the Party hardliners but also of their more liberal colleagues—and possibly even of the Soviet Union, anxious to put an end to all the Solidarity "nonsense," while reluctant to resort to outright military force...
...The Union must respond to the Bydgoszcz events, but in keeping with its capabilities, and bearing in mind its responsibility to the nation...
...He reminds everyone that the demands had been formulated a long time ago, and that now the time has come to see to it that the authorities respect them...
...Around the king is a court, and then there is a parliament...
...ANDRZEJ CELINSKI — until March 31, Secretary of the KKP...
...We must not proclaim a general strike until all other possibilities are exhausted...
...that Poland's nearly 3 million private farmers be allowed to form their own trade union (Rural Solidarity...
...Modzelewski: Calls the attention of the KKP to the fact that one must assume responsibility not only for making but also for avoiding decisions...
...Modzelewski: Is of the opinion that we must begin with a warning strike...
...Bytom (Cierniewski): Opposes the concept of a "peripatetic" strike—it would result in chaos...
...Hence it is necessary to call a strike, and a general one at that (never mind whether it is called "general" or "universal...
...Kuron: Stresses that everyone agrees there should be a strike, but has different opinions as to the time and duration, and whether to precede it with a warning strike...
...the meeting is adjourned, to be resumed the following morning...
...Geremek: Observes it would be contrary to the functions of the experts if they were asked to give their opinions only on the date of the strike, rather than also the manner 294 in which the Union's problems should be resolved...
...It also is surely remarkable that for all the chaos and dissension, the meeting adhered strictly to democratic procedures—all the more remarkable in a country with no experience whatever in democracy...
...Targowica...
...In response to a question whether it is true that the Katowice MKZ passed a statement on the necessity to choose between membership in the Party and Solidarity, and organized a mass meeting to boot, Rozplochowski replies that it is the Party that is trying to convince its members to leave Solidarity, and that he was not in Katowice when the MKZ was deliberating this matter...
...There were some fears here in Bydgoszcz about the behavior of the crowd of several thousand people that gathered in front of the union headquarters once it learned that the Warsaw talks had resulted in naught...
...SB (Sluzba Bezpieczenstwa) — Security Services...
...The general strike should be canceled only if the warning strike is completely successful...
...The talks went on, in an atmosphere described by all subsequent reports (by the official media as well as by those present) as "amicable" and "businesslike...
...Lodz (Slowik): The present situation is to some extent a result of Solidarity's timidity last October...
...And we should not be afraid about the reaction of workers to our decisions, for they trust and will not abandon 296 us...
...Olszewski: Says that the strength of Solidarity lies in the people's confidence in it...
...the committee must be empowered to decide everything—we shall settle accounts later...
...Torun: The position of our joint committee representing Solidarity, and Rural Solidarity, students, and cab-drivers is the following: if by 8 P.M...
...The latest developments in Moscow and in the Polish Politburo indicate that the group that could aptly be branded as "Targowica" has gained ascendancy...
...after his resignation, appointed head of the cabinet of the KKP's chairman (Walesa...
...Lis: Proposes a general strike on 3/27...
...Niezgoda: First the KKP should authorize the chairman [Walesa] to enter into the talks, and then questions his right to conduct further negotiations...
...It is a suicidal arrangement for the Union, but apparently some people think that one must not wash one's dirty linen in public, and that we must pass over this matter in silence...
...The strike action must succeed, and this is why the Union must be clear about its objectives...
...More members speak in favor or against the various proposals....] Walbrzych (Szulc): Suggest that the conditions set by the strike should include the immediate termination of criminal proceedings against Kuron and Michnik, and complete guarantees for Solidarity's access to the public media...
...A Voice from the Hall: Says that on this matter only those who participate in the strikes, and not the experts, should speak...
...Serious violations have occurred...
...If the members of the KKP trust him, he must trust them...
...Negotiations should be carried on TV...
...If a general strike is announced for Friday, the government will make bogus concessions, will play for time, or might for that matter respond with machinegun volleys...
...Geremek: Asserts that in a situation where the Union has been subjected to a direct attack, it must respond with a blow...
...The report (in itself a summary rather than a verbatim account) appeared in no...
...Answer: so that the Poles would know when to stop...
...A Voice from the Hall: The KKP members, when referring to a general strike, had a universal strike in mind...
...Then there are the interminable wranglings about the difference between a "universal" and a "general" strike (both, of course, amount to the same thing), and the curious mix of political astuteness and naivete...
...He appeals to Kuron, Modzelewski, and others not to force him to declare himself on certain matters, and not to engage 298 in personal bickering...
...Lodz: Proposes general strike, without warning strike, on 3/27...
...A few weeks later Solidarity again threatened a general walkout, unless a printer accused of the unlawful dissemination of secret police instructions on how to deal with the regime's "political opponents" was released from custody...
...The warning strike and the threat of a general strike amounted to proof that the nation would no longer tolerate a policy of evasiveness and delays...
...In addition, in some regions people are waiting impatiently for a decision...
...Wroclaw (Przydzial): A general strike should begin no later than 3/27...
...For more than half a year after the conclusion of the "Gdansk Agreement" of August 31, 1980, Poland was in the grip of successive confrontations between the authorities on the one hand, and the mushrooming social organizations—above all, Solidarity—on the other...
...In Poznan, for instance, a general meeting of delegates from factory committees had passed a resolution for a general strike, without a warning strike, to begin on 2/27...
...Having said this, Modzelewski resigned as press spokesman, and several other resignations followed...
...After some further discussions a vote is taken to create a strike committee...
...Bydgoszcz (Gotowski): Shares the view of the Torun representative...
...The term of the strike can be defined, but it should not be a warning one...
...JACEK KURON — coauthor of the "Open Letter" (see Modzelewski, below), one of the founders of the KOR, and perhaps the most prominent and prodigious representative of its more radical wing...
...He says that Solidarity had welcomed with hope the government of General Jaruzelski, in the belief that a strong government would be able to create necessary conditions for a conflictless resolution of all outstanding problems...
...Proposes that the Friday strike last four hours...
...Why did God invent the orgasm...
...He resigned on March 31, but still remains the vice-chairman of Solidarity's Wroclaw branch...
...He considers a warning strike absurd, that what should be discussed are the terms of a general strike—should it begin on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday...
...If the result of the discussions with the government are positive, Walesa should call off the strike on television...
...Celinski: Thinks the committee should have the right to decide everything except calling off the strike...
...We shall act calmly, thoughtfully, and without fear...
...The motion is defeated.]) Modzelewski: Returns to the subject of a general strike...
...The demands should include annullment of the charges against oppositional activities in the years 1976-80...
...Stalowa Wola (Krupka): In his region people can't wait for the go-ahead signal...
...The situation is so tense it would be better not to leave the factories once the strike is in effect...
...And since the king is no mere dummy, the power resides in his court, rather than in the parliament...
...Jastrzebie (Jedynak): What happened in Bydgoszcz can happen anywhere...
...Bujak: Moves that the experts be asked for their opinions on when the strike should begin...
...Modzelewski: Moves formally to open the discussion and to ask the experts for their opinions...
...But the price was heavy: the gradual erosion of the government's authority, disarray within the Party ranks, and above all the public's growing conviction that the regime was bent on destroying the Union, that it was merely playing for time, and that no reasonable solution to the crisis was in sight...
...See Dissent, January 1, 1981...
...The immediate outcome was a victory for Walesa and his supporters: first a four-hour warning strike, then a general walkout unless the government entered into serious discussions with Solidarity...
...to do otherwise would have clearly undermined his personal authority...
...In addition a watchdog committee that would function during the talks with the government is also elected...
...Geremek pleads for an adjournment...
...The AS had checked this matter out with him—Modzelewskiand he is responsible for it...
...on Wednesday, 3/25, the Bydgoszcz discussions have not yet begun, to call a general strike for Thursday, 3/26...
...The communications network must work effectively, and we must not forget about food supplies, for otherwise the authorities will no doubt blame Solidarity for food shortages...
...Someone has long claws—we'll make sure to clip them...
...He repeats that the Union is not aiming for power, but wants the government to be just...
...The "court," then, is now likely to be transformed into a genuine "parliament...
...but by and large no bloodshed...
...But the crowd dispersed peacefully when it was asked to do so by Modzelewski...
...The matter of private farmers should figure in the strike demands, but he doubts whether the same should hold for access to the mass media...
...Suddenly the doors opened and about 200 policemen entered the room, with the major in charge demanding that the meeting be terminated and its participants disperse...
...A discussion regarding the precise timing of the warning strike ensues, and it is finally decided that it would last four hours.] Walesa: Asks to be forgiven for yesterday's incident...
...In short—provided that Solidarity goes on respecting the party's "leading role" in the country's political system, rather than precipitating its disintegration—there is hope that the longdesired "social contract" between the rulers and the society may at last be consummated...
...together, they composed a detailed statement to be presented at the next morning's session of the People's Council...
...Yet the talks with Jaruzelski should be broken off if they bear no results...
...A heated discussion begins, one person observes that the two vote counts don't match...
...Solidarity was soon provided with ample regular access to the public media...
...SEIJM — Poland's parliament...
...Discussions with the government are a waste of time, and the Union will only harm itself by engaging in two or four-hour warning strikes...
...Sila-Nowicki: Asserts that in his opinion the voices clamoring for an immediate general strike are irresponsible...
...In the future, if it becomes clear that discussions are merely a fiction, they should be immediately terminated...
...Solidarity is responsible for Poland, and not merely for its present generation...
...As these lines are written, elections to various Solidarity chapters are in progress, and an allnational congress is due to convene by the end of August...
...Walesa: Emphasizes that he is not saying anything against the KOR group, that he is very much obligated to KOR and to Kuron personally, and that he wants to work with them together...
...He reminds those present that the [government] people responsible for the events of 1970 and 1976 are still in the government apparatus...
...Torun: Expresses his indignation—the chairman must not be allowed to behave in this manner...
...He is for a general strike, the date to be determined later...
...Since then the word "Targowica" has been synonymous with "traitors...
...This is why we must think with care when we consider taking positions that might hamper the actions of forces that are in favor of the renewal, perhaps not as decisively as Solidarity would desire, but that are trying to do something, nevertheless...
...You can't negotiate for safety guarantees—you must insist on them...
...The Union must make it unmistakably clear that the present situation must change, that it is no longer possible to ignore the voice of Polish society...
...But we cannot adjourn without clearly stating our intentions...
...ANDRZEJ GWIAZDA — a vice-president of the KKP...
...Also says that the Union has the best experts, who know how to formulate and defend their views, so that any criticism of them is simply ridiculous...
...This means that one can do little today against "Targowica," that the government is weak and cannot be considered by the Union as a serious partner...
...The government that Poland has is the only one possible for the country, and no one wants to replace it with a foreign one...
...It all reminds him of how the authorities liquidated the activists of the PSL [the prewar Polish Peasant party...
...However, the latest events in Bydgoszcz prove that the authorities do not want to talk and are bent on a confrontation, thus leaving Solidarity with no choice...
...A long speech by Karol Modzelewski, then Solidarity's press spokesman, captured the ambivalent mood of the occasion...
...The polarization process must embrace the whole society, and the Union's objectives must be fully accepted by the society...
...A few weeks later came the protracted conflict over a five-day work week, which could easily have been resolved had not the government dug in its heels, and at first refused to negotiate this matter with the trade unions...
...If the ultimatum fails, a six-hour strike should be set for Thursday 3/26, with a general strike the following day...
...To make matters worse, a hastily convened meeting of the Politburo ended with a resolution in effect whitewashing the police, and accusing Solidarity of "spreading unrest and distrust...
...He asks whether everyone is fully aware that a general strike means that everything comes to a standstill— which after all is impossible...
...True, there were isolated cases of police brutality, occasional beatings, threats, and detainments...
...We shall respond decisively...
...The government must not have a gun placed at its head...
...Rozplochocski: Moves that the Walesa proposal for a warning strike preceding a general strike be invalidated, since it automatically assumes that the talks with the government will continue, and that proposal was voted upon separately...
...Malopolska (Cyran): Proposes warning strike on 3/27, then a general strike on 3/31, Tuesday, for on Monday the problem of 293 communication [with Solidarity chapters] is more difficult...
...MO (Mi/icia Obywate/ska) — People's Militia (police...
...Zielona Gora (Niezgoda): He has always tried to put a brake on excessively radical moods...
...Then gives a statement protesting the action of the MO and SB in Bydgoszcz, supporting the individual farmers, and demanding that the negotiations with the government, which are to commence on Sunday, be given wide publicity...
...He is supported by several others.] Lublin (Sawicki): We are entering into a state of war and democratic procedures must therefore be suspended...
...The three, gasping and covered with blood, were found by their colleagues and taken to the nearest hospital, where they were to remain for a long time...
...After the general strike is announced, it should continue until all demands are met...
...The reaction to this unprecedented savagery was massive and instantaneous...
...The Union must respond immediately, for it has no assurance as to what may happen between a warning and a general strike...
...that a new liberalized censorship law come into force (to be enacted by November 1980 but still nonexistent...
...TADEUSZ MAZOWIECKI — distinguished lay Catholic, member of the Warsaw Club of the Catholic Intelligentsia, a long-time editor of the monthly Wiez (link...
...Mazowiecki: Says there are no experts in the areas now under discussion, and he is taking the floor simply as a member of Solidarity...
...He supports Walesa's proposition: if a general strike is to be proclaimed, it must be accompanied by rigorous instructions about its conditions...
...The report—as I hope the reader will agree—is full of fascinating revelations to anyone who 290 wants to understand Poland's "bloodless revolution...
...In almost every case the authorities eventually backed down, avoiding yet another explosion...
...M KZ (Miedzyzakladowy Komitet Zalozycielski) —Interfactory Founding Committee...
...Has about 50 members...
...The Bydgoszcz events constituted a provocation against the Jaruzelski government, which indeed let itself be provoked...
...Throughout the country, as well as in Bydgoszcz itself, thousands of workers laid down their tools, demanding that a general strike be declared immediately...
...It is now imperative to form a committee to direct the strike...
...He proposes Monday, with the warning strike to take place immediately...
...Walesa in an address to a huge crowd at the Bydgoszcz Solidarity building: "We are with you...
...One of Solidarity's experts...
...A general strike will place the government, in his opinion, in an untenable position...
...He appeals to his colleagues to have confidence in themselves, and to take decisions in keeping with their own convictions...
...The decision now facing Solidarity is the most dramatic choice faced by the Union since August...
...KAROL MODZELEWSKI — a prominent political oppositionist, coauthor, with Jacek Kuron, of the 1965 "Open Letter to the Party," which called for the abolition of the "bureaucratic power elite" and the establishment of a genuine "workers' democracy...
...We're not shaking in our boots...
...MSW (Ministers two Spraw Wewnetrznych) — Ministry of Internal Affairs...
...The question was put to a severe test during the week of March 16-23...
...After grudgingly allowing the emergence of an independent trade union, the government proceeded to hamper and sabotage its activities, while attempting to breathe some life into the discredited official trade union structure...
...The fundamental problems at this time are the arbitrariness of the police authorites, the lack of guarantees for the farmers' selfgovernment, and the danger to Solidarity's existence...
...He moves that the discussions be resumed the following morning...
...The ultimatum is to consist of (a) matters to be settled immediately and (b) those subject to negotiation...
...He also believes that a warning strike would be useful to the Union, for if the talks end in a compromise, this will not have an adverse effect on the members' morale...
...All Solidarity chapters are to be informed about the results of the discussions.] Second Session — the Morning of March 24, 1981 Celinski: Announces that he has been authorized by Walesa to say that he would participate in further discussions only if the KKP accepts his proposal for the strike...
...One must give the government a chance to think the matter over...
...Each act of submission and compromise has been used against us...
...Since the Union demonstrated its immense potential strength as well as flexibility, above all, its readiness to come to terms with the authorities, it succeeded in strengthening the position of the Party "reformers" (especially those in the rank and file...
...Nevertheless, the motion is submitted to a vote, and is carried with 38 against 1, and 7 abstentions...
...The question before its members was not whether to strike, but how, for how long, and when...
...A decisive majority votes for Gdansk.] Lis: Opens the discussion on the timing of the general strike...
...While urging his comrades to approve the agreement as the best possible under the circumstances, Modzelewski maintained that the events of the past week revealed some fundamental flaws in the Union's modus operandi: The important thing to remember is that the Union, which has had a leader with so much authority and which could not, because of its weak organizational structure, work out a rigorous decision-making mechanism, has created a king that rules over it...
...They return later and inform the KKP that the alleged statement turned out to be a provocation and that Polish Television must be informed about it...
...A statement by Cardinal Wyszynski (whose representative was present at the People's Council deliberations) condemned the police, supported the workers and farmers, yet urged them to remain calm...
...If the Union does not gain the guarantees for its existence, other matters (such as censorship) will be rendered unimportant...
...Yet one must act in a way that will not precipitate the loss of what has been achieved...
...JAN OLSZEWSKI — lawyer, long-time political activist, and now one of Solidarity's experts...
...Suspecting a subterfuge, the farmers and the Solidarity members insisted that at least some of the Council members stay behind...
...It should take place neither on Thursday nor on Friday, for it must be a revolver that is aimed at the authorities, but not a shot...
...Cannot conceive of a strike that causes everything to come to a standstill—when there is no electricity, bread, or medication...
...The agreement contained the government's apology for the Bydgoszcz incident and a promise that the culprits would be punished, as well as assurances that all the outstanding issues between Solidarity and the authorities, including that of Rural Solidarity, would be speedily resolved...
...On March 30, a day before the general strike was to begin, Rakowski and Walesa (and their respective teams) reached an understanding, and the latter called off the strike, subject to approval by the KKP...
...Others, especially the "experts" attached to Solidarity (see the Glossary), recommended caution...
...Koszalin: At this moment the strike is about the very existence of the Union...
...So much then for the events immediately preceding and following the Bydgoszcz incident...
Vol. 28 • July 1981 • No. 3
