IMPORTS OF POLISH coal are to double this year. olish government has abandoned agreement between Scargill Polish iting Polish exports to Britain to 205,000 tonnes. Already, cad of August, 900,000 tonnes of olish coal had been shipped to witain.
By the end of the year the Financial Times estimates that Polish coal imports will have doubled from last year's 548,000 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes this year. These Polish coal imports day a significant role in undermining he miners Suake y Redmond O'Neill But the documents reproduce on these pages demonstrate tha: the Polish government doesn't at have the support of the Polish workers in its strike breaking activities.
now sufficient evidence, boch from Upper Silesia counts for 80 per cent of Poland's coal production, and from other sources, of support being expressed for the NUM by the underground organisaions of Solidarnosc.
The statements printed here bitterly condemn the scabbing of the Polish government, which claims to support me British miners vet takes advantage of their strike to pump additional coal anto These out the hypocrisy of the official so-called government has reestablished since the suppression of Solidarnosc.
These official unions have claimed to support the miners and yet done sothing to prevent coal exports which undermine the miners struggle. eridence is now overwhelming: the The Jaruzelski does not.
Arthur officials the British press.
by the Solidarnosc as Street publicise "HE INSTITUTE FOR we which acThey prefer to try Solidarnosc as anti-socialist struggle of Solidarnosc in Poland.
The Solidarnosc stands for. Solidarnosc underground both in WarCoves saw and the key mining areas of Poland stands with the British miners, General those them.
However, the views of Solidarnosc have been systematically concealed by After building up Tne champion of freedom in Poland, the hacks of Fleet extremely reluctant L4 leaaing Solidarnose's support for freedom and workers' struggles here in press to portray LOO fight to defend trade union rights and jobs here as totally unrelated to the strengthen the miners and undermine their own efforts to portray Margaret Thatcher as a champion of everything But it is not only Fleet Street that and lies about those in who support the miners and organise scabbing against The Morning Star has managed for seven months to turn a blind eve to increasing Polish coal imports during the strike. Most recently the Morning Star has banned an advertisement signed by movement figures MPs, supported by Yorkshire NUM, protesting that: '....if the independent trade union move ment, which might have been expected to black (coal) exports, is no longer permitted to operate, a double burden falls on the Polish government which claims to have installed itself the better to defend "socialism"!
That statement goes on to call upon the Polish government to declare a moratorium on coal exports to Britain for the rest of the miners' strike.
The Morning Star refused to print this statement, signed by Dennis Skinner and Eric Heffer among others, on the grounds that it does not print "political' advertisements! It has to supthe about the Polish regime's coal exports and the true positions of Solidarnosc in order to justify its support for the Polish bureaucracy's repression of the independent trade union movement.
When the truth about the role of that bureaucracy, not only in Poland but in relation to the British miners, is embarrassing. then the Morning Star adopts the same methods of lying and concealing the truth as the Fleet Street hacks.
For British trade unionists, lesson is quite clear: if Solidarnosc were a mass legal organisation in Poland today, the British miners could rely on a force which would take the same stand as the most militant workers here and the the On 17 June the Underground Provisional Co-ordinating Committee of Solidarnosc miners issued this statement in solidarity with British miners.
10am on Sunday 17 June by the Solidarnosc station called We Will Win, based in Upper Silesia, main coal-mining region.
The Underground Coordinating Solidarity miners vigorously test against the present policy of the Polish People's Republic on the management of our major source of wealth -foreign markets prices (ie, at less than world market prices) is first of all a violation of the Jastrzebie Agreements (August 1980) in which established that coal is a national resource which must be used rationally. The pricing policy ment in the mines into a straight economic loss.
Secondly, govenment's policy blatantly contradicts official propaganda which declares respect for the dignity coal organised the control The statement was read out at underground radio Fact in the country's Provisional Committee of of it. procoal. Selling it on al competitive was clearly right to work. above-mentioned transforms investthe Polish miners' and endeavour. distribution outside of any social The Polish government has no right to behave like a mineowner and to dispose of the national wealth as it pleases. Only the damned capitalists and dictators this way. Fourthly, the Polish governments policy in this field affects the basic interests of brother miners from other countries who lose their jobs as a result We hope the Party authorities and parliament - who say they represent the people - explain what is really going on.
To the striking miners of Great Britain: The Underground Provisional Coordinating Committee of Solidarity miners sends you fraternal greetings and our support and solidarity for your struggle for the We know from our own experience what it means to lose a job. For this reason we will do everything possible to support your struggle, including in action. The protest we have sent to the Polish government and parliament is an initial measure taken in support of your struggle.
To the striking miners of Great Britain The leadership of the provi sional coordinating committee (of Solidarnosc) of the region of tipper Silesia is mandated to send you a motion of support for your struggle and your fight in defence of an elementary human right right to work.
After a discussion and an exchange of points of organisation send you full support for your struggle. We are full of admiration for your stance and your unfailing willingness We believe you will To the President of the on strike in Great Britain Dear Comrade, thusiasm. For view. our under lotalitarian threats security reasons. National Union of Mineworkes Allow me to send you the expression of my support and my enmany have represented the interests of your trade union with dignity.
At the same time I ask you to consider our own difficult situation — activity which is clandestine and which inezas there are many things we cannot resolve rapidly. often for In the Socialist Action 5 October 1984
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Fleet Street covers up Solidarnosc's support for the miners because it would