Spring Fever

Solidarity shows signs of life

"The winter is yours, the spring will be ours." That defiant slogan, which symbolized the hopes of Poles in the bleak months following the imposition of martial law in December 1981 has not been forgotten. After another winter of inactivity, supporters of the outlawed Solidarity trade union gathered in Gdansk last week to show their opposition to the government. At best, however, the demonstration was an early harbinger of a spring that looks decidedly chilly.

Drawn by leaflets announcing a two-day protest, about 2,000 people turned up outside the Lenin shipyard, where the union was born 2 1/2 years ago, to lay flowers and sing hymns in front of a monument honoring slain workers. The unusually large crowd drew a swift response from riot police, who closed ranks and drove the demonstrators out of the square.When protesters tried to congregate near the memorial the next day, police squads moved in again to disperse the crowd.

The week before the demonstration, former Union Leader Lech Walesa, who was released last November after eleven months of detention, had boldly announced that the time was right for Solidarity to find "more effective means of protest." But he later denied that union leaders had played any part in the Gdansk rally and hinted that the regime had "provoked" the incident. The confusing shift in position suggested that Walesa was uncertain about the strategy to follow in the face of a resolute government. Many key Solidarity leaders are still in prison or facing trials. Despite the disarray among union organizers, Polish workers are growing impatient with the government's ineffective efforts to bring order to the country's troubled economy. Last week the authorities raised the price of gasoline from $1.44 to $1.81 per gal. There were similar hikes in the cost of cigarettes and coffee. To show their opposition to the government's policies, many workers have boycotted the new unions created by the government last fall to replace Solidarity. Said a retired shipyard worker: "Walesa is still our leader, but he must lead. We are waiting for him to tell us what to do."

Pope John Paul II's planned pilgrimage to his homeland in June may provoke another test of strength. Some Solidarity supporters have hinted they will press for reforms in the weeks before the Pope's arrival. It is a gamble that could jeopardize the visit. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.