From: ecopaulz@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Paul Zarembka)
Subject: Observations on a month in Poland--summer 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: University at Buffalo
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 21:10:45 GMT

Observations on a month in Poland--summer 1992
Paul Zarembka (ECOPAULZ@UBVMS.BITNET)

                                                              August 25, 1992

     I spent one month, mid-July to mid-August, in Poland, and talked with 
many persons of varying employments.  Some of them I knew from prior visits 
in 1985 and 1979 and most conversations were in Polish with my Polish-born 
and raised wife as translator.  I offer what I learned, fairly convinced that 
I am not misleading you.

     The free-market policies of governments since Jaruzelski stepped down as 
the last "communist" leader have been a disaster for ordinary persons.  The 
U.S.$ is freely convertible at about 13,400 zloty per $.  Workers earn in the 
neighborhood of 1,800,000 zloty per month ($134), some less (e.g., railway 
workers, 1,200,000), some more. If you are in an old apartment you may have a 
very low rent situation, but gas and electricity takes about 300,000 monthly 
for a small apartment (say, 40 square meters--400 square feet).  If you live 
in Warsaw, public transportation costs 4000 per ride, no transfers included; 
1800 in Krakow, no transfers included.  The Krakow price would be more 
representative of other towns and cities.  Trains are priced per kilometer 
and second-class from Warsaw to Krakow for one adult is about 88,000 without 
reservations (12,000 more with).  One liter of gas costs 6600 for regular 
($1.86 per U.S. gallon).

     Food prices outside of bread are U.S. prices: 11,000 for a dozen eggs, 
55,000 for a kg. of good sausage, 90,000 for a kg. of ham.  Bread is 5,700 
for a kg (I forgot to check the staple--potatoes).  Computer prices are U.S. 
prices with the usual configuration; a Polish-made stereo system without 
speakers is 8,000,000 (good quality), a lower-quality Phillips with speakers, 
6,400,000, again our prices after conversion.  Beer is more expensive than 
here (11,000 but rather better), milk and soft-drinks about the same.

     Except bread, from what I could tell commodities traded internationally 
sold at prices we know here; items like public transportation (or vacation 
spots--see below) that do not "trade" are at much lower prices.  In any case, 
how they get by on $136 monthly salaries is beyond me.  I heard of a family 
of three full-time employed professionals, pulling in 6,000,000 monthly and 
having to watch when spending a 30,000.

     Getting into a newly-constructed apartment of 63 square meters, or 680 
square feet, required one family I met a principal of 340,000,000 zlotys, 
with 34,000,000 for downpayment and a 60% annual interest charge (given the 
anticipated inflation).  They had just moved in in April, are expected to pay 
400,000 for maintenance and 300,000 for the loan.  They will probably never 
even start on the principal and so it is no more than a rent.  (Since their 
moving in, a 60,000,000 downpayment is required for the same type apartment.)  
In this family both wife and husband are employed full-time, the husband also 
has just taken a second job (7500/hr. from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.--1,300,000 
monthly; 12,000/hr. from 3 p.m. to 7 or 8 but only for summer months--another 
1,200,000).  The husband is a skilled machinist and sees his ONLY possibility 
for getting it together as the possibility of a year's employment at a German 
firm in Germany which informed an agency in Krakow that it needs 2 workers 
with his specialty (but he doesn't know if he will be chosen).

     Industry is in a crisis.  The government has no industrial policy other 
than to let the free market work its way.  Freight traffic on the railroad is 
down by one-third (some due to substitution by trucking).  An state-owned 
yarn factory in South Central Poland with reasonably modern technology has 
reduced its workforce from 1800 to 650, and is considered for liquidation, as 
its sales decline due to the recession/depression and competition from Asian 
manufactured imports.  Banks are sometimes close to bankruptcy as loans are 
not repaid (I heard from this a bank accountant).  State-owned farms are 
being let to run down and 78% being proposed for sale, collective-farms are 
not being supported and are deteriorating (but may still be viable), and one 
independent farmer summed the situation "we go from a stupid government to a 
stupider one".  I saw no evidence of new industries (but I didn't go 
everywhere) and a painter (of buildings) in Warsaw said that there is no 
money for construction (but that buildings started are being completed).

     While I was there there were major strikes at a major copper plant and 
an auto plant, the latter having a joint agreement with Fiat, and these were 
covered daily by the news.  (As an Appendix to this description, I include a 
news summary to the effect that all major unions EXCEPT Solidarity are 
supporting demands similar to the famous 21 Solidarity demands of 1980!).  
Unemployment compensation is about 750,000 for six months with nothing 
afterwards (the deepest crisis is probably get to come as these limits come 
into practice), and persons facing unemployment tried to moved into some type 
of "trading" (an engineer moving toward wholesaling shoes is one example).

     Having said this, many people told me that there were people with a lot 
of money in Poland, that the middle-class had been wiped out and the divide 
between rich and popular classes had widened sharply.  I don't know 
personally any examples of how to make big money in Poland, but the 
descriptions told me of the corruption of the government and the 
privatization process were salient.  One example was a factory valued 
independently as worth $20,000,000, sold off for $2,000,000 (the resulting 
criticism was leading to an investigation of the official in charge).

     Abortion is no longer available in hospitals, but may be available 
privately. I met no one that supported the Church's position and many even 
volunteered (when discussing some other issue) that the parliament (Sejm) 
wasted its time debating this issue and thereby avoided the economic crisis.  
I was told several times that public opinion polls did not support 
prohibiting abortion (the chasm may be similar to the Italian situation where 
a public referendum made abortion legal).  I got widely varying stories on 
the cost of abortion--5,000,000 to 6,000,000 in Krakow to 15,000,000 in 
Warsaw.  I heard that Slovakians advertise openly in Southern Poland for 
Slovak abortions across the border (where is it legal and apparently not an 
issue, even though Catholic) at 2,000,000.  The Church hierarchy is hammering 
on the issue, e.g., at Sunday sermons--I heard that one such sermon in 
Czestochowa (the most important religious city in Poland) named a doctor (who 
was in church that day) "a murderer" and that that doctor angrily later told 
the priest that many of his abortions were for nuns having had relations with 
priests!

     When I write that I met no one who supported the Church on the abortion 
issue, I include some seriously practicing Catholics.  My personal evaluation 
is that the opposition to banning abortion is STRONGER in Poland than in the 
U.S. (regardless of the temporary results).  The Church and the government 
are so closely tied together on the economy and abortion issues, and people's 
ability to sustain a larger family so much weaker, that people cannot cop-out 
of the issue.  Supporters of banning abortion argue that abortion is a last 
refuge of communism existing in Poland, but that kind of argument doesn't 
carry a lot of weight anymore.

     Criticism of the Church, particularly for playing too much politics, is 
widespread.  Criticism is even coming from younger priests--which was 
unheard-of before.  I was told that the Christian Democratic Union is afraid 
of new elections, since the decline in support for the Church will be felt in 
their party's support.  Many times I was told, as one criticism of him, that 
Walesa is always surrounded by priests.  Incidentally, there are some 600 new 
churches being built in Poland and often they are quite large structures 
(several times I was told that the money comes from worshipers--solicited 
perhaps by priests going to their homes, or from wealthy donations, or from 
help from another city).  One woman was absolutely furious with the priests 
who live in fine houses, with a car, and cable (thru satellite) TV, and 
telling worshipers that the new stain glass window is more important than 
clothing for their children.  (Later I asked her if violence against the 
Church a la the Spanish Civil War could occur in Poland and she thought that 
that condition is ripening; when she repeated my question some days later to 
an acquaintance from Warsaw--actually an economist whose name I wasn't 
told--he replied that that could take quite some time--like a generation or 
more.)

     Walesa himself seems very unpopular.  The best that is said of him is 
that he was a good union leader, but not as a President.  Almost everyone I 
heard criticizes his inability to speak decent Polish (I heard this not only 
from professionals, but also workers), says that he makes stupid remarks, and 
I heard of one open sexism (asked what he thought of working with the new 
female prime minister he is reported to have replied, "I like my women under 
me").  By the way, no one I talked to had ever heard of the prime minister 
before she became took office (even a professor of law and political science) 
and none expected her government to last long.

     Solidarity is no longer what it was.  In fact, there is now a 
Solidarity-80 union as a reaffirmation of original principles, but the 
OPZZ--the former "communist" union--is rising in strength.  One person said 
that Solidarity is "hated"; another that there is extreme disappointment that 
the Solidarity leaders that were supposed to have "integrity" were just out 
for themselves and fighting among each other all the time; and many said that 
people feel "cheated".

     The most popular newspaper now in Poland is apparently NIE (No), run by 
the former press secretary for the Polish United Workers ["communist"] Party, 
Urban. It's very critical and anti-capitalist.  Several people I met 
described Poland as 18th or 19th century capitalism, some as modern African 
capitalism.  (One woman told me personally that she remembers very well a 
critique of capitalism I told her in 1985 and that now she sees it directly 
in front of her eyes.)  Several said that Poland has a "clerical" regime.  

     I asked many people what they expected over the next five years.  There 
was general agreement that what is happening cannot go on.  Some used the 
word "revolution", some thought a military government possible, one, a return 
to the prior system (with modification).  One director of a theatre thinks 
his countrypersons are stupid (not saying this so much from an elitist 
position but rather how much they had bought in earlier to the democracy and 
freedom rhetoric).  While no one I meant was talking any longer the language 
of freedom and democracy (one told me to say that there is only democracy for 
the top 5% in Poland), no one I met much criticized the Soviets or the 
Americans; they seemed more concerned with the political and economic failure 
of their own government.  (One did mention that Poland did nothing more that 
switch from one dominator to another.)  Twice I was asked who would win the 
elections here and I said Clinton; one replied that that is bad for Walesa 
because he loves Bush.

     An engineer at the yarn factory told me sadly how the vacations 
sponsored by the union or company is a thing of the past.  He said he and 
other workers could take sailing vacations at very modest cost on lakes in 
Poland that had vacation housing owned by the plants.  Now those 
possibilities seem to have been sold off and vacation too expensive.  My 
family spent one week in a mountain vacation on the Slovak border and was 
told that vacationers are way down this year from last (an ice-cream sales 
woman told us the same).  Actually, the vacation housing we stayed at is very 
similar to what Polish workers used to have--one or two rather small rooms 
with meals (not bad) included and served at the same time for everyone at the 
same hours (8, 1, and 6) and recreational facilities available along with a 
bar.  Eating like this had its pluses and minuses--you spent much less time 
on the eating issue as they did an excellent job of getting food on the table 
for about 100 persons in just a few minutes--always a soup, meat, potatoes, 
vegetable, and a compote (fruit-based drink made with sugar) and usually cake 
or fruit for dessert.  On the other hand, it's like listening to a classical 
music station--there's probably little more than one available so you take 
what comes down (actually this is not true in Buffalo since we have one of 
our own and two from Toronto).  Anyway, my three-person family paid about 
2,400,000 for a week there (housing and meals).

     As one example of the "commodization" of Polish life, one family told me 
that used school books of children are now being re-sold--unheard of before 
(you gave them away to family or friends).

     To a left-wing person, you hate to see all the street names that were 
changed--some 140 in Krakow.  Even the street honoring the Soviet general who 
kept the Nazi army from burning Krakow toward the end of the war has been 
re-named (is there no shame?).  Many are re-named to religious figures.

     If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them or get the answer.  I 
hope this has not been too long.


            APPENDIX: A NEWS ARTICLE ON UNION DEMANDS AND STRIKES            

Subject: Wage protests spreading in Poland
Date: 17 Aug 92 16:28:40 GMT

	WARSAW, Poland (UPI) -- Angry workers stepped up their demands for
higher wages Monday, threatening a multimillion-dollar French-Polish
auto deal, and a presidential spokesman warned there are limits to what
the government can do.
	Two unions, Solidarity-80 and the Federation of Miners, began a
strike at the Czeczott coal mine in southeastern Poland Monday.
	Not far away, the FSM small-car factory in Bielsko-Biala announced it
was halting production for five days because of a shortage of parts from
the nearby FSM factory at Tychy, where workers have been on strike for
more than two weeks.
	Company spokesman Boguslaw Cieslar said the strike constitutes a
growing threat to FSM's recent deal with Fiat, under which the Italian
automaker agreed to take over controlling interest and invest some $2
billion over the next five years.
	Meanwhile, a total of six unions have announced a campaign of
coordinated protests and strikes Tuesday. They said their purpose is to
persuade authorities to discuss a list of 21 demands concerning radical
changes in the economy and the way the country is run.
	The unions include Solidarity-80, an extremist offshoot of the
Solidarity labor union, the former communist trade federation OPZZ, the
Miners' Union, the Rail Engineers' Union, the Rajmund Moric Miners'
FEderation, and the Samoobrona (Self Defense) farmers' group.
	The list is patterned after the famous 21 demands issued bySolidarity in 1980, which eventually led to an accommodation with the
then-communist government.
	The strikers claim the government's tax and credit policies make it
impossible for even the most efficient state enterprises to survive.
	OPZZ announced a series of protests, while the Rail Engineers' Union
promised to halt certain trains while Samoobrona said it would block
roads.
	Solidarity's national coordinating council, called Siec or `
``network'', met on Friday in Gdansk but rejected a proposal to form a
national strike committee.
	The government of Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka, who took office July
10, is preparing a proposed social compact that envisages reaching an
accommodation with the nation's unions, then following up with a plan to
either make state enterprises more efficient or liquidate them.


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