Polish agree to recognize labor unit, ending standoff

Polish authorities agreed to recognize Solidarity, the nation's largest independent labor coalition, ending the impasse between the government and the union. The decision came after union leaders agreed to include an extra protocol in their proposed charter referring to the leading role of the Communist Party. The union, which says it represents more than 6 million workers throughout Poland, has been waiting since Sept. 24 to gain official approval from the Warsaw District Court. The registration, announced at a rally here, is scheduled to take place Friday. The rally was the last leg of a tour by Lech Walesa, leader of the Gdansk shipyard strikes last summer.