Polish airline employees, port staff threaten strikes

Polish airline employees joined port workers in threatening a limited strike this week, days before the opening of the ruling Communist Party's emergency congress. The threat of a four-hour work stoppage Thursday by employees of the national airline LOT followed the announcement by dockers of a one-hour warning strike in all ports today (July 8) to press demands for improved social benefits and modernization of outdated equipment.

The LOT workers are protesting the authorities' refusal to accept the employees' nominee for company geneneral manager. The workers' council said there would be a full strike July 24 unless the government relented.

The workers chose a new general manager. Bronislaw Klimaszewski, by secret ballot in May. But the authorities refused to approve him, arguing that the airline had defense commitmen ts and must therefore come under direct government control.