Prime Minister Donald Tusk is to hold a TV debate with representatives of Gdansk shipyard workers next Monday.

Head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, Slawomir Nowak, said in a radio interview that the logistics and technical details of the debate are currently being worked out. The debate was proposed by Tusk last week at a press conference during which he announced his decision to move the main celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the 1989 elections from Gdansk to Krakow.

The decision was prompted by security fears that a planned Solidarity worker’s union demonstration would disturb the celebrations of what was a historic event which paved the way for the collapse of communism.

Even though Solidarity later said that a peaceful rally is planned after an open-air Catholic mass at the Solidarity memorial in Gdansk, the government said its plans would not be changed. 

A government spokesman said two days ago that, after meeting the leaders of the Visegrad Group in Krakow in the morning hours on 4 June, the Prime Minister would go to Gdansk later in the day.

On 4 June 1989, for the first time after World War II, Poles took part in what were partially-free parliamentary elections. Solidarity scored a landslide victory, winning all the seats that it was allowed to contest. (mk/mmj)