Gdansk Shipyard Declared Bankrupt

A court declared the Gdansk shipyard bankrupt Thursday, making the birthplace of Solidarity a victim of the free-market economy it helped create.

The bankruptcy will make it easier for the Gdansk shipyard to restructure its debts and break unprofitable shipbuilding contracts, said yard president Ryszard Glouch.

It will not, however, protect the 3,600 shipyard workers - more than half the work force - who will lose their jobs when Gdansk continues its operations as a new enterprise, the New Gdansk Shipyard.

Many Poles called the bankruptcy an attempt by the leftist coalition government to blacken the memory of the historic shipyard. But even former Solidarity union leader Lech Walesa has acknowledged the economic necessity of the restructuring.