The Trade Union Forum - the appearance of a third force in negotiations?

Trade unions outside of the two main trade union alliances, Solidarity and t he Nationwide Trade Union Agreement (OPZZ), are consolidating under the bann er of the Trade Union Forum (FZZ), which could possibly lead to the creation of a third major trade union alliance. Wieslaw Siewierski, the main activist of FZZ, says that several unions have their own perspectives which do not co incide with the political views of Solidarity, which participated in the pre vious Solidarity Election Action (AWS) government, nor OPZZ, which is part o f the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). Several big unions could join FZZ, inc luding that of nurses and midwives, which has 87,000 members, and the railwa y workers union which has 40,000 members, as well as some health sector and police unions. He claims that around 684,000 union members have declared an interest in joining the FZZ. The idea of founding a third big trade union al liance is to bring together at least 300,000 workers, a number strong enough to guarantee the union alliance the right to participate in the Trilateral C ommission. This Commission brings employers and unions together with the gov ernment and gives them a say in the formation of major laws and the right to sign collective bargaining agreements with the government. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 6) T.J.