Plain speaking from Polish rail workers

Polish television surprised viewers Wednesday evening with an unusually candid panel discussion. Railroad workers were allowed to voice blunt opinions on prices and wages and on government demands for greater work efficiency and productivity.

''Prices rise 300 percent,'' one worker told the interviewer. ''What do you think? We have only two hands.

''We can raise work efficiency by 5, maybe 10 percent, but not by 300. Our physical abilities are limited.''

Another chimed in: ''Efficiency can be improved by new technology, new effective machinery, better work organization. But the government cannot expect us to work more than we do now on what we have.

''We come here to work, and eat bread and jam because we leave this little bit of meat on the ration for our children.''

And a third: ''With the new prices we earn less than we did six or seven years ago.''

A fourth complained of the centralized wage system, which still prevents enterprises from setting differentials to reward better work performance.