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POLANDi Hore Strikes in the Offing
Sti-ikee and strike threats once again seem likely to embroil Solidarity and the governmentest of strength. eenme*
Solidarity's rejection of the government's offer to provide television coverage of the union's congress increases the prospect of new strikes by printers and possibly radio and television technicians. The union leadership rejected the conditions that the government had attached to itscensorshipolidarity pledge to forgo threatened media strikes. The regime has warned that it cannot allow extensiveof the media. Any government effort to operate radio and television stations in the facetrike could leadlash with media technicians.
The national leadership of Solidarity will probablytrenuous effort to avoid major strikes until after the first session of its congress ends next Monday. The union may ultimately feel compelled,o endorse the strikes, in part because it may believe they cannot be prevented. The strike by printers in Olsztyn continues despite earlier appeals by the national union leadership to end it. Moreover, these workers havethe regional union chapter totrike alert throughout the province in their support. Printers in Rzeszow also are striking to get their manager fired.
Other issues that could add L- tensions are:
strike alert in Bydgoszcz has been called for today to show the local union's anger over the termination of the regime's inconclusiveof the beating of union activists last March.
in Legnica havetrike In mid-September if their demands for improved supplies are not met.
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party Central Committee's apparentof key Solidarity demands on greater worker participation in factory management could provoke disputes such as increased efforts by steelworkers in Katowice to oust heir factory managereferendum.
Soviet Commentary on Exercise
Moscow appears to be trying to defuse Western and Polish apprehension about the major Soviet militaryscheduled to start today and end oneptember. An Izveatiya commentary yesterday, alluding to speculation in the West about the coincidence of the Soviet military activity and the crisis in Poland, attacked western media for propagating "anti-Soviet rumors" and asserted that the exercise has "no special purpose beyond those already announced."
tiya also contended that the exercise willonly an "extremely limited" number of forces. 5 Helsinki Agreement requires that signatory countries cite the number of troops participating in maneuvers when more0 are involved. Moscow, however, failed to provide these data in its notification to the West of the planned exercise, and it has not responded toWestern efforts to learn the information. As manyoviet troops from the army, navy, and air force could be Involved in the overall joint exercise.
Original document.
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