Polish P.M. scorns credit freeze

Press, 11 October 1982, Page 1

Polish P.M. scorns credit freeze

NZPA-Reuter Warsaw-

Poland’s Prime Minister, General Jaruzelski, in a resolute statement to the Sejm (parliament) defending his military regime’s decision to dissolve Solidarity, said that the credit freeze imposed by N.A.T.O. States last January had not broken the ailing Polish economy.

The general was speaking before President Reagan announced he was suspending Poland’s most-favoured-nation trading status. “In spite of the sanctions and the considerable drop in imports from Western countries. we have not been thrown on our knees," he said.

“That is proof that with our own resources and through increased co-opera-tion with fraternal (Eastern bloc) States and the aid of the Soviet Union we will succeed in overcoming our enormous difficulties,” he said.

In a veiled warning to Poles not to demonstrate against Solidarity’s dissolution. he said the chances of ending martial law’ this year had been reduced by the anti-Government demonstrations all over Poland at the end of August. There has been nd sign yet that the underground Solidarity leaders are planning to

organise demonstrations to protest against the union’s ban. Opposition sources said there was a mood of indecision and some despair. A clearer idea of the response of the membership of almost 10 million and the leaders in hiding would come after the factories resumed work today, the sources said. October 13, marking 10 months of martial law, could see disturbances, they said. The Polish regime’s action has formally ended 26 months of Eastern Europe’s first experiment in independent trade unionism.

The new bill was hailed by speakers in the Sejm as opening a new chapter in labour relations. They emphasised it retained the principle of independence for unions and allowed the right to strike.

Critics of the bill said that although there were clauses stipulating independence from State administration and management, the way was open for the new unions to be dominated by the party. Several prominent members of the pro-West dissident movement, KOR, who acted as advisers to Solidarity, have been arrested and face charges of trying to overthrow the State by force, which carry a death penalty.

Reagan reaction, page 9