[Problems of the elderly in "post-strike Poland" at the time of 1980-1981 concluded agreements]

Based on the official agreements concluded between government committees and strikers' committees in Poland in the 2nd half of 1980 and on the declaration of the "Congress of Pensioners" of the ISTU Solidarity, problems of old persons in after-strike agreements concluded in Poland in the 1980/81 period are investigated. In the agreements concluded in the third quarter of 1980 (Szczecin, Gdańsk, Lipcowy, Katowice) only basic demands for rising the lowest pensions up to the level of a social minimum (while the problem of adjusting these pensions to the rising living-costs is generally neglected), and tendencies of shortening the life-working-time can be found. Much more differentiated and adapted to single interests of the striking farmers is the agreement concluded in February 1981. The declaration of the congress of pensioners of the ISTU Solidarity is mostly differentiated and engaged in essential problems of old people. But its disadvantage is that neither the government nor even the trade-union leaders are bound to it.