7th National Congress

VII NATIONAL CONGRESS OF DELEGATES
Gdańsk, 8 - 10 June 1995

The Seventh National Congress of NSZZ "Solidarność" was held from June 8-11,1995 in the city of Gdańsk. The incumbent president, Marian Krzaklewski, was reelected to his third term in office, defeating his two opponents handily in the first round of voting, capturing 75% of the vote. The Congress took place in a difficult situation for Polish workers as 15% unemployment , the neoliberal offensive by the post-Communist government, its ignoring of the trade union's voice and its refusal to negotiate bilaterally with NSZZ "Solidarność" make it all the more difficult for the Union to organise new members in small private enterprises, a problem which the Polish trade union movement must face.

At the same time the government has taken such anti-reform and anti- union decisions, contrary to the Pact on the State Enterprise and to the opinion of the Tripartite Commission, as the submission to Parliament of a draft bill on the commercialisation of state enterprises. The most direct effect of this bill would be the creation of tens of thousands of posts in the administration of these enterprises for the Communist nomenklatura.

Meanwhile the presidential electoral campaign has begun and Lech Wałęsa, who was a guest of the Congress and had a lively two-hour discussion with the delegates, fielding quite often less than friendly questions, sought their support for his candidacy. The delegates did not, however, endorse any candidate, reserving for themselves the right to hold an extraordinary Congress, if the need arises, to address this matter. They also rejected a draft resolution to found a "Solidarność" Labour Party and resolved that any such decision must first be preceded by an all-Union referendum.

Another widely discussed issue was mass privatisation to be carried out by a division of the national assets. According to the delegates, this would be conducted to avoid a criminal form of privatisation and would equalise the chances for all citizens to participate in the ownership transformation process as well as encourage their economic activity.

The Union will strive to win a growth in real wages through the negotiating of collective agreements. The state administration can not limit the speed of wage growth, the principles of compensation or interfere in the relationship between trade unions and employers.

The Congress resolved that a minimum income should be guaranteed and tied to a social minimum. It also moved that the income policy of the state should be based on a profamily taxation system, which would mean that taxes would be dependent on the per capita income of a family.

NSZZ "Solidarność" will demand full employment, the adaptation of vocational education to the job market, the improvement of employment services and the guaranteeing of retraining workers and the unemployed. The delegates also demanded that medical services, education and cultural facilities be accessible to all.

The implementation of the Union's tasks will depend on the strength, dynamism and professionalism of its actions. This will require the organising of new members, the establishment of new trade union structures, especially in private workplaces, and the creation of an expert and educational fund. The Congress also resolved to prepare guidelines to strengthen both structurally and financially the industrial branches of the Union.

• Resolutions at statements  res_stat.pdf [86.00 kb] 
• Report on activities 1992-1995  report.pdf [127.00 kb]