\

~ Poland

Agreement
reached on

i. 4,

roe

key points

Workers at the Gdansk shipyards returned to their jobs, Aug. 31, following agreements

hegotiated with the government dealing with trade unions, economic questions and a

wide range of social issues.

The following are excerpts of
the 21-point settlement program
arrived at in negotiations be-
tween the Government Com-
mission and the Inter-Factory

Strike Committee which brought :

an end to the series of strikes
and work stoppages in Poland.
The material is furnished.by the
Polish press agency (PAP). The
Tribune will continue to provide

.materiats on events in Poland
as they are received.

‘With regard to Point 1 concerning ac-
ceptance of free trade unions in-

dependent from the party and the

employers ensuing from ILO Conven-
tion 87 ratified by Poland, and con-
cerning the freedom of trade unions, it
was agreed:

e The activities of trade unions in Po-
land do not fulfill the expectations and
hopes of the employees. It is found pur-
poseful to establish new, self-governing

the social ownership of the means of
production as being the foundations of
the socialist system existing in Poland.

Recognizing that the Polish United
Workers Party exercises the leading role
in the state, and not undermining the
established system of international alli-
ances, they aspire to ensure the working
people the appropriate means of control,
of expressing opinions and defending
their interests.

The government shall guarantee and

ensure full respect for the independence ~

and self-rule of the new trade unions,

both with regard to their organizational ©

structure and functioning at all levels of
their actions. The government assures
the new trade unions the full possibility

- of discharging the basic functions in the

trade unions to be an authentic represen- —

tative of the working class.

The right of everyone to remain af-
filiated in the present trade unions is not
being questioned. The possibility of
establishing cooperation between the
trade unions is envisioned in the future.

e In setting up new, independent and
free self-governing trade unions, the
Inter-Factory Strike Committee states
that they shall observe the principles set
forth in the Constitution of the Polish
People’s Republic. The new trade unions
shall defend the social and material inter-
ests of the workers and will not play the

- role of a political party. They stand for

field of vindicating the employees’ inter-
ests, of meeting the material, social and
cultural needs.of the employees.

e The setting up and the activity of the
independent, self-governing trade union
is consistent with Convention 87 of the
ILO which Poland ratified concerning
trade union freedom and protection of
trade union rights, and Convention 98 on
the right to associate and hold collective
negotiations. The size of the trade union
and employee representation will call for
the appropriate legislative amendments.

‘ In this connection the government

undertakes to initiate legislation, con-
cerning in particular the law of trade
unions, the law of workers’ self-
management and the Labor Code.

e The established strike committees
have the possibilities of transforming
into factory organs of employees’

. representation such as workers’ commit-

tees, employees’ committees, workers’

_councils or into the founding committees

of the new, self-governing trade unions.

The Inter-Factory Strike Committees,
as the founding committee of these trade
unions, have the freedom to choose the
one union or association on a coast-wide
scale.

The founding committees will operate
pending the statutory election of the new
authorities. The government undertakes
to provide conditions propitious for the
registration of the new trade unions out-
side the register of the Central Council of
Trade Unions.

e The new trade unions will have real
possibilities for public expression of
opinions on key decisions determining
the living conditions of the working
people. The principles of distributing the
national income for consumption and
accumulation; the distribution of the so-
cial consumption fund for various pur-

poses, health protection, education, cul- —

ture; the basic principles of remuneration
and lines of wage policies and, particu-
larly, the principle of automatic wage
corrections in conditions of inflation,
economic plans, lines of investment and

price changes.

e The government shall ensure the
observance in Poland of the provisions of
Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Law on
Trade Unions of 1949 which stipulates
that workers and employees are guaran-
teed the right of voluntary association in

’ trade unions. The new trade unions shall

not enter the membership of the associa-

tion represented by the Central Council »

of Trade Unions.

_ The right to strike shall be guaranteed
in the Law on Trade Unions which is
now being prepared. Until this law is
passed the government guarantees the
strikers and helpers personal security
and up-to-date working conditions.

e The government shall table with
parliament within three months a Bill on
control of the press, publication and
entertainment to be based on the fol-
lowing... principles:.censorship...should

protect the interests of the state, t.e.: the .

protection of state and economic secrets
whose scope is to be defined more
closely by legislation; matters relating to
the state and its important economic
interests, the protection of religious feel-
ings and, at the same time, the feelings of
non-believers, as well as barring the pos-
sibility of the dissemination of morally-
harmful contents. —

A Bill would also cover the night to
appeal the decisions of the organs of the
press, publications and entertainment
control with the Supreme Administration

Court. This right will also be introduced

by way of amending the Administrative
Procedure Code.

Access to mass media for denomina-
tions or groups within the scope of their
religious activity shall be realized by way
of settling the problems of substantive
and organizational nature between State
organs and religious unions concerned.

e Agreed to examine immediately the
justifiability of firings from work after the
strikes of 1970 and 1976 in all cases pro-
tested, and in cases of irregularity, rein-
state all those concerned who wish it,
with account being taken of the qualifica-
tions acquired in the meantime.

e Agreed it was necessary to speed up
work on economic reform. The authori-
ties shall define and publish in the next
few months the basic lines of these re-

forms. Broad participation in the public.

discussion of the reforms shall be made
possible. The government shall expand
the range of social and economic in-
formation available to society, trade

unions and economic and social®

organizations. ...

e Agreed to effect an advance pay-
ment for the duration of the strike
amounting to 40% of remuneration for
the period of the strike with employees

receiving up to 100% remuneration upon -

resuming work.
_ The Strike Committee appeals to the

-workers to proceed after the end of the

strike with actions to increase pro-
ductivity, conservation of materials and
energy, anda sense of duty at every work
station; cooperating in this with
management of enterprises, factories
and institutions.

e Agreed that gradual wage increases
for all groups of employees shall be
introduced with lowest wages being in-
creased first. The principle has been ag-
reed according to which the wage in-
creases will be effected in individual
enterprises and branch groups. Wage in-
creases are and shall be effected with due
account taken of their specific character-
istics, professions and branches.

‘The introduction of wage increases
shall be completed by the end of Sep-
tember 1980 according to branch con-
tracts. The government, following an
analysis, shall present by October 31,
1980, in consultation with the trade
unions, a program for wage increases as
of January 1, 1981 for the low wage ear-
ners, with particular account being taken
of families with many children.

e It has been found imperative to
check price increases of essentials
through intensified controls over the so-
cial and private sectors in particular, the

discontinuation of so-called hidden price
-_ increases.

In line with government decisions,
studies of the shape of living costs shall
be carried out by the end of 1980. The
government shall elaborate the princi-
ples of offsetting cost-of-living increases
which shall be subject to public discus-
sion. These principles should take into
account the minimum welfare standards.
On Points 10, 11 and 13, it has been
determined that supply of the domestic
market with meat shall be improved by
December 31, 1980, as a result of in-
creasing the profitability of agricultural
production, limiting to a necessary
minimum the export of meat and making

extra purchases of meat abroad.
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e The government shall present by
December 31, 1980 a program for
equalizing family allowances for all
occupations.

e The government declares the rais-
ing of the lowest old age and disability
pension will take place annually in step
with the country’s economic possibilities
and in line with the minimal wage in-
creases. The government shall present
the respective implementation program
by December 31, 1980.

e To ensure an adequate number of
places at creches and kindergartens for
children of working women the commis-
sion fully agrees with the contents of the
postulate. An appropriate program will
be submitted by the authorities by
November, 1980. ~ -

“e It was agreed that by December 31,
1980 an analysis agreed to by the trade
unions will be conducted on the national
economy. Defined will be time and the
amount of monthly allowances for
res who are now on unpaid childcare
leave.

e By December 31, 1980 the au-
thorities will submit a program for the
improvement of the housing situation
aimed at shortening the waiting time for
apartments.

e Agreed that the principles and
methods for implementing programs for
introducing paid Saturdays free from
work or other ways of shortening the
work week will be elaborated by De-
cember 31, 1980.

Having settled these matters it was ag-
reed: the government pledges to ensure
personal security and uphold the current
terms of employment for the strikers and
strike supporters.

The Inter-Factory Strike Committee
pledges to terminate the strike as of 5
p.m. on August 31, 1980.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPT. 12, 1980—Page 7