1936-08-06 — Page 10

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WENT to the Palace of Labour in Moscow to sce some Trade Union friends.

It was still raining heavily. The building seemed un- changed since I was there in 1025. There was a uniformed man on, the door and a small antiquated lift which seemed doubtful whether it could carry more than two people. This big building with its long corridors was formerly n "Home for Orphans."

What became of the orphans when the Uniona come here I do not know. The Secretary of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and a large outer office with two secretaries working there.

inner and an

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. THURSDAY, AUGUST

WHAT I SAW IN RUSSIA-3

Naturally, I cannot go into any details of a conversation of such ́a private character, but I shall give, some general references.

One of the officials set out to tell me about the Trade Unions. He said the rules and authority of the Trade Unions had changed with the development of the Soviet power.

Because of the growth of the Trade Union membership, they bad become too highly centralised. They divided the twenty-tren existed! original Unions which when I was here in 1925, and which then, had a membership of G} mil- Unlons forty-seven lann, iniu These were still too large, and after 11 time they arranged for 154 Unions.

Since that tim alne

further Unions had been added to make a total of 163.

There were still 14 to 16 per cent. of the workers who were not in the Trade Unions, and they felt that smaller Unions could most cięc- tively enter for these men. '

The Unions still retained their basis of one Union for a given in- dustry, but they had gone in for. more speciallantion. For example, in the machine-building Industry they had now factories specialls- ing on the making of lathes. Con- sequently, instead of having the members all in one heavy metal workers' Union, they now have a special Union for lathe-makers.

They had already found that this change in formation was giving good results and more attention

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was being paid to the interests of the members. Russia had now engineers its the working-class principal administrative positions in the factories. They were no longer dependent on the former intelligentsin, whom they had to watch carefully.

I could see where this was lead- ing. It was going to be put to me as the reason why they no longer needed Trade Union representa- lives on the factory management.

The official proceeded to say that this change affected the role of the Trade Unions with regard to the administration. The State hati now handed over to the Trade Unions In the latter part of 1933 the full 'control of payments for social insurance.

These powers were formerly ex- ercised by the Commissariat for Labour, which had been done away with and its work taken over by the Trade Unions. This meant that the Trade Unions had to exercise many new and compileated func- Lions, For example, the proter- tlan

inbour -- by

which

ייל

meant the provision of safety regu- Jations and

6,

1936.

Woman 'Navvias' banking up a railway track at Dnieperstroy,

At the PALACE

Our

ili:

apparatus such 85 are provided by Factory Acts necessitated engagement of technical engineers to make sure that adequate pro- tection was being afforded.

The Unlons had now two main functions. (a) the protection of labour and (b) the administration These had of social insurance. netually increased the power of the Trade Unions.

The question of raising wages was not a matter of struggle. Uke- It was in caphalist countries, but a matter of arrangement in the planning of the Soviet economy. The Director of a Sorlet industry was not paying out his own money to his workers, or the money of his sharchol rs. He had no interest in trying to avolt paying the proper wages,provided by agree- ments.

POINTED out that it was too much to assume a complete Identity of interest between the Director and The Director was the worker. concerned principally with cities- oney and output, and the worker with the amount he could earn and the conditions under which it was earned.

I asked what part did the Trude Unions play in the fixation of wages under the plan. I was told that the plan went from the bot- tom to the top of industry and then after revision went back the opposite way.

the Planning Com- In general. mission knew what the fellowing Then year's werking would be. they allotted to every industry its particular task. Then the Coni- missars for. various industries allotted the task for each factory. The factory administration then' came into the matter and discussed the question with the workers through the. Factory Committee and the Trade Unions.

If they had any objection or Alterations to make, these were

to

central trade the : sported nion, and the Commissarint of Labour for the industries con- cerned. Then the plan was sub- nitted again to the Planning Com- mission, and if there was still a dispute, this would be remitted to the All-Union. Central Counell of Trade Unions, who discussed the matter. with the Government.

It was argued that they had, by this means, adequately protected the wages of the workers better than Unions could possibly do in any capitalist country. There was

of LABOUR

by Sir Walter Citrine

no country in the world where the workers were so enthusiastle in their work. Had I not noticed int?

I replied that I had, but that I had also noticed that there was no other country in the world where

to

the monetary inducements workers were emphasised and ex- plotted more than to Soviet Russia. I said there was more intensive piece-work, bonus systems and general attempts to speed up by hard work than I had ever seen. i was sure that the proportion piece-work to time-work would. bear this out. I said the worker: 1 had seen were working very hard and the women were doing arduous and severe tasks which in a Bocial- ist state was quite unjustifiable.

They were performing physically hard work, such as digging drains in the streets, ordinary navvy's work, pulling down houses, and in short the very kind of work which in Great Britain we tried to pro- tect them from. I said the pace at which the workers were induced. -by-one means or another, to work

was far too high.

With such a slight Industrial training, they would pay for it in years to come the adverse effects it would have on their health. Against this, I recognised that they were going in for sport more than they had ever done previously, and that factory hygiene was very goud.

T

con-

I

HE Trade Unions, I feit, too niuch were cerned with the output, and too little concerned with the real protection of the worker. asked what they had done to detend the standard of life of the worker during the first Five Year Plan? Did not the plan pro-. vide for an increase of 74 per cent. In real wages in the final year? Actually was there not a definite reduction in the standard of life. because of inflation and high prices?

There was some consultation about this. They denied that there

was any such gure in the plan, but they thought there was a gure of about 42 per cent. I sald I was ready to stand by my figure. I asked what the Trade Unions did when they saw the promise was not being realised. Was it not true hal during the period of the first Five Year Plan, the workers' stan- dard fell dangerously low?

They replied that this won'

Ayoldable, because of the necessity for providing adequate defence against the capitalist countries who threatened to attack Russia,

They further said that the second Five Year Plan provided for an increase of two and a half times, the living standard of 1933, and this was in fact already being realised. I said I would require much more convincing evidence of this than I had seen up to date.

They sald the real issue to determine was whether Socialism or Capitalism was best. and in their elremstances whether they should have given up Socialism.

I retorted they had never had Socialism. The brand of what you call 'Socialism' operated hero is something which I cannat recognise as Socialism, It is cer- tainly not Social Democracy. It is more like State Capitalism."

NEXT: We Arrive at Corki Sir Walter Citrine's diary, from which the above is an extract, has George hern published by Menar8. Rontiedye and Sons, under the title, "Search for Truth in Runnia,"

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