The daily worker., 1924-07-26
CONTINUED from Last Issue.)
Rising Wages-Trade Unions

The of presentday Russia is that production
carried not to line the pockets few social parasites
but for the benefit of all the workers Consequently
try revives and produces greater goods naturally
the workers get the benefit of it in higher
living General have followed the
industrial production. countries the
workers hive suffered heavy reductions wages enghen
ngs of the workay Russia alone have wages gone
the eight hour maintained This speaks ell
oqueny for the society average wage increase for
all Russian industries in 1929 25 AS compared with
prewar standards wage in various industries
follows: metal 52, textile S2% 70 mines S chemicals Is
printing 1871, food 1872, leather 92% paper 1OO,
S0%, railways 46 In Moscow the all classes
average 9S% of prewar rates. in Leningrad
they S3 The for all classes of workers through
out Russia about 65 of the prewar average
they constantly and rapidly rising.
Corresponding to the improvement industry and the
of the workers. the trade unions making definite
progress in many essential respects substantial in
in membership. On January 1929 the unions
tOtaed 454eOOO MEMBERS January 1st 1924 figure
amounted to OOO The unions actually engaged in in
dustry except transport gained 35 in membership
to the introduction Of the New Economic Policy, 1921
membership in the unions virtually compulsory. Now
it entirely dues paying voluntary system Fully
97% of all workers belong the unions Approximately $50
Of them financially good standing organizations
At 90 Of the total membership works under
collective agreements OF the industrial disputes that have
developed nearly all Of which settled without strikes
only settled in favor Of the employers which
is the State The unions developing educa
onal work extensively For this they have organized
1862 cultural clubs of which 900 located in the
factories In 1929 100000 ierate workers taught
read and write in the trade union schools There trade
union physical culture societies
Unemployment.
As stated earlier in my talk, the solution some of
the old problems confronting the revolution given birth
to new problems One Of these is unemployment may
strange first blush that should be unempoy-
ment in country where the capitalist system has been
killed But such the case perfectly understand
able reasons Let explain them briefly. there
was practically unemployment in Russia though
not much industry either But the number UNEMPLOYED
workers throughout Russia is estimated be about
100000 The number has for the past year
Strangely enough the number of employed growing
rapidly at the time that the army unemployed is
increasing In nine months from February October of
1928 the total number Of workers engaged the state in
dustries increased 1917.
The apparent contradiction of army of the unemployed
growing simultaneously with the army of the EMPLOYED is
easily explained The fact is that supplies workers
being assembled faster than the expanding industries
can absorb them. Hence the growth of the number of
unemployed in spite of the progressive opening fac
tories The unemployed coming many sources One
factor is the releasing of the proetarat mentioned
earlier that to the coming back large
numbers of workers who left country during the
period of the greatest economic returning work
help to swell the ranks of the unemployed Then there
the rehabilitation of the army the elimination Of
great numbers Of needless Office bureaucrats
from the state Industries and order
10 balance the state budget Also there is the proetaran
zng of the old bureoe the forcing the ranks of
the workers of the remnants of the ruling class And
finally to mention only few of the important factors
the official list OF the unemployed swollen by the regsra
ton of all kinds of doubtful elements Nepmen and
Others who register unemployed to get the pro-
lection and advantages of being workerczen These ad