Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has stressed the need for compromise rather than war, following a meeting with representatives of Poland’s Solidarity trade union on Wednesday.
The prime minister met Solidarity leaders to discuss issues such as rising energy prices, the minimum wage and pensions. The union has called for energy prices to be kept at an “appropriate level” so people do not fall into “energy poverty”.
“We are experiencing exceptional circumstances when it comes to our economy and all of Polish society, as we find ourselves under enormous inflationary pressure at this time,” the prime minister said after the meeting with union representatives. “As such, we need to take very prudent and responsible action.
“I can sum up our meeting by saying that it went quite well, however, of course, our opinions differed in several areas because we looked at issues from our own perspectives,” Morawiecki added. “Nevertheless, I did refer to the fact that we are all in the same boat.”
“I showed them how great our defence expenditures are because we are, after all, in a very specific situation,” he said. “And how we must increase spending on the uniformed services… and education and healthcare.”
He added that “all of this must be taken into account within the framework of one budget” and so the budget proposal that was discussed with the union was “a kind of compromise.”
“Today, in Polish society, we must not seek war but compromise, and reconciliation rather than disputes,” said Morawiecki.