Solidarity Leaders Reverse Stance, Will Work With Union to Save Shipyard

The outlawed Solidarity trade federation today reversed a longstanding policy and agreed to work with the government-approved union in an effort to save the Lenin shipyard.

The announcement was made by Lech Walesa, leader of Solidarity, which was founded at the shipyard. He spoke at an outdoor rally attended by nearly all the yard’s 10,000 workers on the first working day since the government announced Monday that it will close the shipyard Dec. 1.

Walesa appeared to rule out a strike for the moment, saying, “That would only make the situation worse.”

Thatcher Arrives

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher arrived in Poland today on a three-day visit that will include a trip to a monument outside the yard on Friday. Solidarity leaders said they were eager to avoid creating a confrontation that could jeopardize the visit, the first to Poland by a British prime minister.

Thatcher’s visit could give government officials a chance to justify their hard-line treatment of Solidarity by pointing to her success in subduing unions in Britain. The government also hopes the visit will pave the way for Western credits to help the country’s debt-plagued economy.

Walesa said he told the official OPZZ union that Solidarity plans to fight to save the shipyard, and he proposed that the two unions suspend their disagreements and work together.

‘Common Position’ Adopted

“We adopted a common position, which is proof the unions can reach agreement at any moment provided we are not set against each other by someone else,” Walesa said.

The joint resolution marks a reversal of Solidarity’s earlier position not to talk to the official union, which was set up in 1982 after the martial-law crackdown on Solidarity.

Although the official union continues to oppose introduction of union pluralism--saying it alone can best represent all workers--hostility between the OPZZ and Solidarity has been diminishing. On the factory floor, the two groups have been known to cooperate on local issues.

Public Declaration

“This is for the first time that OPZZ and Solidarity have declared cooperation so publicly and so officially, although not 100% of unionists are ready to defend the shipyard at any cost,” said Franciszek Ciemny, national spokesman for the OPZZ.

He said national OPZZ leaders today endorsed the government’s motives to reform the economy, but decided that the shipyard should not be closed abruptly.

It asked for a meeting with government officials Nov. 9 to press for improved shipyard efficiency, Ciemny said.