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New union elections in Poland

WARSAW (PAP) — The following are the remarks
by Polish United Worker’s Party leader Edward
Gierek to the 4th Plenary Session of the PUWP Cent-
ral Committee on Aug. 24:

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The contents and the decisions of the debates of the
Central Committee of our Party correspond to the
gravity of the situation, to the feeling of the deepest
Tesponsibility for Poland’s destinies.

We must find a way out of this dramatic conflict —
by the way of agreement with the working class, with
the working people. The removal of the causes of
social discontent and restoration of the climate of
mutual confidence is the primary condition for reach-
ing this objective. We are making an essential turn-

about in the policy of the Party and state, readjusting
_ It to the realities of today. ;

_ Among the postulates put forth by the personnel an
Important position is occupied by the question of
trade unions. We are of the opinion that the Central
Council of Trade Unions should consider forthwith

the holding of election of new trade union authorities _

in all of these factories in which personnel desire
them. These election should be fully democratic, sec-
tet and with an unlimited number of candidates. It is
beyond doubt that if the prestige of the trade union
representation which spontaneously emerged re-
Cently turns out to be durable and consolidated —
their members will surely be on the new trade. union
authorities. A new draft of a new trade union law

The Central Committee has made profound
changes in the body of the leading organs of the Party
and chose to forward the proposals of equally pro-
found changes in the Presidium of the Council of

Ministers. -

We called to the responsible posts also those com-

rades who had perceived earlier the growing irregular-
ities and tried to counteract them and whose voice we
had not heeded in time.

We are making serious changes in our policies in
complex conditions. Coming to meet half way the
social critique and the just postulates of the working
people as we are, we patiently explain misunder-
standings and beat off the attacks on the basic political

~ and social assumptions of our system, upon our Party.
~ Only a socialist Poland can be an independent state

within durable borders and with international pre-
stige. It is only socialism that can effectively safe-
guard our state and national interests. We shall firmly
defend and protect these supreme values.

We want a genuine broadening of the citizens’

participation in deciding matters of work establish-
ments, towns and villages and the entire country. We
are ready to continue talking on these matters with
society, with the representatives of workers who
emerged during strikes, but we cannot make empty
promises, we cannot agree with the postulates hitting
out at the foundations of the national and state exis-

_tence either. i
There are talks going on between the governmental

commissions and the representatives of striking per-

EDWARD GIEREK
We must find a way out of this dramatic conflict.

sonnel in industrial centres of the coast for a number
of days now. They concern many matters, including
complex ones and difficult to explain and resolve
speedily. We appreciate that the striking personnel
were able to ensure law and order in their plants and
that they prevented major dislocations.

We must jointly bring the country out from the
present crisis. We can reform much and change
much, gradually solve economic problems, develop
democracy and deepen the atmosphere of mutual re-
spect and cooperation. We Poles have given evidence
of political maturity more than once. There is great
necessity for this maturity now.

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\. Should be submitted for public discussion this year.

Israeli forces ““"
attackLebanon |
‘tsraell artillery, aircraft and

- Commandoes. launched an
unprovoked attack again on -
southern Lebanon killing
and injuring scores of
=| People in a raid universally
“| condemned. UN peace-
i) keeping forces reported Is-
,_ tael was continuing its ag-
< - gression in both UN-super- —
ised areas and Lebanese
towns and villages.

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Should shortages

A reader asks why should prices rise
use of short supply or predicted
Shortage. He points out that no addi-
tional labor or material has been added to
the product. He compares the pricing
policy of capitalist firms in respect to
800ds in short supply, which amounts to
a form of rationing directed against the
low income groups, to that in socialist
countries where there may be a rationing
of 8o00ds in short supply which assures
fair distribution:
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This is an important topical question.

_ One that the average Canadian shopper

is faced with day in and day out. There is
a dry season in the prairie provinces and
the price of grain and grain products rise
even before the crop is harvested. As a

result milk and milk products, beef and .

bread rise in Ontario. There is an above
average rainfall in B.C. which causes hay
crops to spoil in the fields and the same
Pricing situation is immediately gotten
under way. A storm sweeps over the cof-
fee plantations in Brazil and before the

_ Storm ends, coffee on the shelves of
supermarkets across the country takes _

another price jump. Every shopper is

_ aware of this practice. The question -

raised by our reader is: why?
The nub of the problem lies in the basis
of capitalist production, which is com-

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in Delhi soon.

ratify:

Marxism-Leninism in Today’s World

modity production. The most important
characteristic of commodity production
is that products are made for sale, as

distinct from pre-capitalist economy -

where products are made for consump-
tion within every economic unit. In other
words, General Motors does not make
automobiles for the sake of making them.
It makes them to make profit. Profit,
maximum profit that is, is the very heart
of capitalist production.

Under capitalism the product of man’s
labor becomes a commodity for sale at
the highest price attainable. Even man’s
power to labor becomes a commodity
subject to the same laws that govern
commodity production. A commodity
must satisfy some human want or need.
This expresses its use value. If the pro-
ducer uses the product of his labor for
himself it is not acommodity. So, the use
value of a commodity by its very nature
is a social use value. Being a social value
it is a thing that is exchangeable — it is
saleable. Thus a commodity possesses
both a social use value and an exchange
value. i :

As already noted, under commodity
production labor also becomes a com-
modity. The size and value of the com-

modity ‘‘labor’’ is determined by socially
necessary labor, and the prices of all
commodities are based on this value.
This is known as the law of value. It is
important to note that labor is the source
of all value, that is surplus value which
represents the unpaid labor of the worker
which is pocketed by the capitalist, and
in turn is the source of all profit.

* * *

Under commodity production based
on private ownership of the means of
production the law of value is the
spontaneous regulator of social produc-
tion, operating through the price
mechanism. Value is the basis of the
prices of commodities. But price is a
form of value and can diverge from val-
ue. Such divergences take place when
the prices of commodities are above or
below their value. The form of price only
makes it possible for the price to deviate

from value. This is caused by the lack of _

mutual balance of supply and demand. If
demand exceeds supply, the prices for

_ given commodities rise above value,

when the opposite is the case they. drop
below value. Only when there is a ba-
lance between supply and demand are
prices equal to value.

INDIA TO BACK KAMPUCHEA IN NON-ALIGNED SUMMIT

NEW DELHI — India will support the People’s Republic of Kam-
puchea as a participant in the Summit of Non-Aligned countries it was
stated here by Indian Foreign Minister P.V. Narashimha Rao. He
noted that the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned states will meet

U.S. RECORD ON HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE UNITED NATIONS

The Carter Administration is preparing for the November Madrid
follow-up meeting to the Helsinki Accords (1975) and Belgrade (1978)
with stepped-up attacks on the USSR and socialist states over alleged
human rights violations.

To. set_part,.of the.record.straight, here are some major United
Nations human rights conventions the United States has refused to

e The Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (December, 1948).
e The Convention on Slavery of September 25, 1925 as amended by
the Protocol of December 7, 1953.
e The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (March 7, 1966). ;
e The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (December 19, 1966).
e The Convention onthe Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitation on
War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity (November 26, 1968).
e The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment
' of the Crime of Apartheid (November 30, 1973).

cause price rises?

In capitalist production, the operation
of the law of value is subordinated to the
purpose of production — a maximum
rate of profit. Value acquires a perverted,
disguised form, namely it appears in the
form of capital investment plus average
profit on this capital. Changes also occur
in the market prices, influenced to a great
extend by rampant speculation on the
future markets. Monopoly control re-
stricts free competition. Free fluctuation
of market prices is virtually absent since
they can be largely dictated by the

~~ monopolies.

In addition, the monopolies capitalize
on predicted shortages or even threats of
shortages. They can also create ‘‘shor-
tages’’ almost at will be agreement
among themsleves. Further, in respect to
capital expenditures: the huge costs of
mammoth advertising campaigns, as the
monopolies compete for the sales dollar,
is folded into the price structure as capi-
tal outlay. This too must earn the average
rate of profit for capital investment.

* * *

Finally, high and low monopoly prices
— that is to sell high and buy low —area
major tool for exploitation of the working
people, and a tool for plundering the
peoples of dependent countries by im-
perialist monopolies.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPT. 5, 1980—Page 7

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