Word: meats
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...mounting wave of labor unrest started eight weeks ago with a series of scattered strikes protesting a sudden rise in meat prices, which have been kept artificially low by costly government subsidies. Shunning the brutal crackdown that had caused Gomulka's downfall, the government of Party Boss Edward Gierek had already granted some $117 million to other strikers during the first wave of protest. It refused, however, to roll back the price of meat. The situation took a dramatic turn two weeks ago, when 16,000 employees of the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk suddenly walked off the job and seized...
...will not change things for the better," Gierek said. "They only multiply difficulties." With characteristic frankness, the former miner admitted to "mistakes in economic policy" and a "lack of progress in the organization of production and the life of the community." He promised reforms, such as higher pay, increased meat supplies, more decentralization and less bureaucracy. Said he: "We understand the tiredness and impatience of the working people over the troubles of everyday life." But Gierek continued on a tough and realistic note that evoked the specter of Soviet intervention should the workers push their demands too far. "Any actions...
East Germany leads the Warsaw Pact in per capita meat consumption (86.2 kg), a revealing economic indicator in the Communist world. Thought to have the strongest economy in the bloc, East Germany is the only member to set a higher growth target for this year (4.8%) than last (4.3%). Economic planning has loosened a bit, helping to compensate for capital deficiencies, limited natural resources and a small labor force. Slavish in its devotion to Soviet aims, East Germany billets some 285,000 Soviet troops. The archconservative regime of Party Chief Erich Honecker tolerates little dissent, though a few minor work...
...Gdansk upheaval capped a seven-week wave of strikes in Poland, most of them protesting the sharp rise in meat prices since July 1. More than 200 factories and enterprises have been affected by unrest in such cities as Warsaw, Lublin, Lodz and Wroclaw. Since the strikes began, the government has offered pay increases totaling some $117 million, but has refused to lower meat prices...
...Gdansk workers tacked a number of political demands onto their calls for a $67-a-month pay increase and a rollback of meat prices. Among them: the establishment of more representative trade unions and the building of a monument to the 49 Gdansk workers killed during the 1970 riots. Seeking to avoid another bloody confrontation, officials at first showed a surprising willingness to negotiate, even at the risk of conferring a de facto legitimacy on the right to strike. Hours after the Gdansk action began, the state-controlled press reported that the government had offered a $40-a-month...