As the 30th anniversary of Solidarity’s 1980 August Agreement approaches, parliamentary speaker Grzegorz Schetyna has said that the trade union, these days, has become too involved in politics.

Schetyna was reacting to President Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk - both former members of Solidarity in the 1980s - not being invited to the Silesian trade union branch’s 30 year anniversary celebrations in Jastrzebie on 3 September, where strikes were called off four days after Lech Walesa called off the Gdansk strikes by signing the August Agreements with communist leaders in 1980.

President Komorowski and PM Tusk have only been invited to the Solidarity Congress in Gdynia on 30 August.

Grzegorz Schetyna said that it is a bad sign when historical dates divide a nation.

“It is bad when history separates a nation. And this is what happens if the president and premier are not invited to such ceremonies. It is a sign that there is no will to celebrate historical dates jointly.”

The head of the Silesian branch of the Solidarity trade union Piotr Duda said early this week that President Komorowski was not invited to the Silesian branch celebrations on 3 September due to the heated political atmosphere currently in Poland, which could pose a threat to the head of state participating in open air celebrations.

Speaker Grzegorz Schetyna said that Solidarity has taken on an unnecessary political role since the end of communism in 1989.

“Trade unions should stay away from politics’ said Schetyna. “This is where the strength of trade unions lie and it is sad that it is not the case in Poland today.”

Lech Walesa, former leader and co founder of Solidarity, has also accused the trade union of being too close to politics, particularly the Law and Justice party led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski. For that reason Poland’s former president will not be participating in the celebrations commemorating the 30th anniversary celebrations in Gdansk.

He was not invited to the September commemorations in Jastrzebie on 3 September, either.

The 1980 Jastrzębie Agreement was signed on 3 September 1980 just days after workers in Gdansk and Gdynia concluded agreements with the communists which legalised trade union activity in Poland on 31 August and conceded 20 other demands by Lech Walesa and the striking shipyard workers. Four days later coal miners and other workers signed an agreement in Silesia which ended work on Saturday and Sunday work in Jastrzebie among other demands. (pg/ab)