Standoff at Rzeszow

At the headquarters of the old official trade union in the southern city of Rzeszow, a drab concrete building that has been occupied for three weeks by members of Solidarity and Rural Solidarity, a sign says SOLIDARITY IS MORE THAN JUST A NAME. In fact the united front put up by the Rzeszow chapter of Solidarity appears to have the authorities there stymied. On the one hand, they have been unable to coax the occupiers out. On the other, they are equally unwilling to grant their main demand: negotiations toward legitimizing the farmers' union. The result is a standoff. Last week TIME Correspondent Richard Hornik visited the sit-in at Rzeszow. His report:

After police evicted Solidarity members from buildings in Ustrzyki Dome and Nowy Sacz two weeks ago, the next logical step would have been to stop the larger occupation in Rzeszow. But the authorities hesitated too long. As one Solidarity official said, "We got in touch with our people in all of the major factories around here and let them know that if the police interfered here there would be a general strike without further notice."

There are no signs of a police presence anywhere near the building. It is the occupying union men who maintain tight security. Five burly railroad workers in their uniforms stand guard at the entrance. The inner door is chained and padlocked. Although the occupiers claim to have about 400 people inside, a first-hand head count put that number at closer to 100. In a solemn mood, the peasants and factory workers sit around chatting idly, reading newspapers, playing cards or chess. At night bedrolls and mattresses are laid out side by side on the floor.

Although the authorities do not quite know what to do about the problem, there are sporadic attempts at intimidation. The district prosecutor summoned the leadership of the local Solidarity chapter to his office two weeks ago for an "off the record" meeting, to warn them that they faced fines and imprisonment for occupying the building. That night the local TV news program carried an account of the meeting.

The government ultimately seems to have time on its side. It is easy enough for farmers to strike in the winter, but when the spring thaw comes in late March the peasants will no longer be able to afford to remain idle. A local Solidarity official conceded as much when he said that the "workers will just have to take the peasants' places." Unfortunately for the farmers--who are not only demanding recognition of their right to organize a Rural Solidarity but also a sweeping reform of the country's agricultural system--the only leverage they have is the threat of a "crop strike." But that option is limited because it would deprive their comrades in the factories of food.

What many of the farmers really seem to want is simply a greater measure of respect. "When a peasant goes to the local authorities, he is treated like a piece of nothing--like he is less than a human being," said one ruddy-faced protester. Then he added: "Poland is like a family. The government is the father and the peasants and workers are the children. If the father is a drunkard and is not good to his children, they will pay him back in kind. But if he is good to his children, they will pay him the respect he is due." At Rzeszow this particular family feud may continue for some time, perhaps as a waiting game neither side can win.

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