Solidarity here to stay — Walesa
NZPA Gdansk ,-’Leaders of Poland's free trade union Solidarity are expected to deliver a keynote report today on. the union's first yearas its national congress gets down to the serious business of defining policies. The congress opened yesterday in Gdansk, where labour unrest just over a year ago led to the birth of Solidarity, with high hopes among delegates representing 9.5 million union members and a sour dispute with the country's Communist rulers over how the event should be reported on radio and television. Solidarity claimed the right to have some editorial control over the broadcasts. When this was refused it barred direct transmissions from the congress hall to the State-controlled networks. State television had to show Western coverage of the meeting. The film was taken mainly from the Eurovision service. . The television authorities appeared to go out of their way to. provide a balanced view of the first day'.of the congress to rebuff Solidarity's claims that it is victimised in the media. The union is holding its congress in two parts and has warned of possible strikes in radio and tele-
vision if the authorities do not accept their terms for coverage by September 26 when the second session begins. The congress was opened by solidarity’s leader, Lech Walesa, who said in a defiant speech that his union was here to stay and that it had become a symbol to the world that struggles for freedom were not in vain. The day began with a Mass celebrated by the Polish Primate, Archbishop Jozef Glemp. and most of the
proceedings were taken up with messages of greeting and speeches by foreign delegates. There were no delegates from Soviet bloc trade unions, but pro-Communist Polish branch unions were represented and a Government delegation- was led by the Trade Union Affairs Minister (Mr Stanislaw Ciosek). The Government, miffed and possibly perplexed by the whole exercise in union power, sent a basically conciliatory message.
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Press, 7 September 1981, Page 8
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326Solidarity here to stay — Walesa Press, 7 September 1981, Page 8
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