The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-10-17
News from y. S. S. R.

IL was OH an average LOLA nQuf
day. The famous" law of 1897 fixed
an 111a hour day. But employers
could make free with this law, or to
put it differently, the law provided
for legal excuses for its infringement
in the shape of urgent" work, over
time in the case of urgent orders"
etc. The working day of piece-work-
ers was not limited as they were not
considered regular wage earners, but
people working on definite job.
After the February revolution, 1917,
the working class began to introduce
the S-hcur day by downing tools after
Fights hours, which was resented and
opposed by the capitalists and their
lackeys--social democratic Menshe-
viks and social revolutionaries who
had a seat in the provisional govern
ment AS result of this the workers
did not succeed in having law passed
of a general 8-hour day during the
whole eight months of the existence
of the so-called provisional govern
ment. 1t was only after the October
revolution that the 8-hour day became
part and parcel of the conquests of
the proletariat as one of the immov-
able foundations of the new life. I'm
mediately after October 20, decree
was issued on October 20, 1917 intro
ducing the 8-hour day in all enter
prises and households and a 42-hour
weekly rest for all wage earners with
out exception. BY the same decree a
number of regulations re protection
of women and child labor were estab
lished. The first labor code issued in
October 1918 was based on general
compulsory labor service. 1t was die
tated by the exigencies of civil war.
However, in regard to working hours.
rest and protection of women and
adolescent labor, the new law did not
change anything in the provisions of
the decree of October 20. In fact it
made even more complete this achieve
ment of the October revolution by
limiting overtime to few exceptional
cases clearly defined in the law. The
8-hour day became an inalienable con-
quest of the working class. None of
the subsequent DEGREES prior to and
after NEP the code of 1929 brought
any alterations into the working hours
lail down by law. Observance of the
labor code and consequently the OBJ
servanee of the 8-hour day and the
42-hour weekly rest, etc. is obligatory
for all institutions, enterprises, house
holds and individuals who employ
hired labor.
This is short sketch of the es-
Establishment of the 8-hour day bv the
Russian working class. Let us now
consider the real working hours in
the Z. S. S. R. in separate branches
of industry. According to 1925-26 sta
tistics, the average length of the work
ing day in the mining and metal in
dustry is rs hours, in the engineer
ing industry IA hours, in the cotton
industry IA hours, in the paper in
dustry n. hours. etc, the average
throughout the industry being rs
hours. The average length of the
working day in the U. S. S. R. is de-
creasing every years. In 1922 it was
TO hours, in 1923 7.8 hours. in 1925
rs hours, whereas at present it is
only rs hours. There is also a de-
crease in the number of working hours
per head per year. In f924-25 the
number Of working hours constituted
E7.5rt of the pre-war working hours.
in 1925-26 1870. These figures are
eloquent testimony that in the U. S.
S. r. one of the main achievements
of the October revolution-.-8-ho day
and 42-hour weekly rest is observed to
the full. For people engaged in brain
work and workers employed in indus
tries considered to be injurious to
health and also for adolescents. the
working hour is limited by Soviet leg
islation to 6 and some cases to s
hours, and even to 4 hours a day.
There is no doubt whatever that
the Bolshevik revolution has secured
for the proletariat of the U. S. S. R.
the S-hour day, the 42-hour weekly
rest, social insurance Of workers at
the expense of employers and other
rights won in the struggle with the
bourgeoisie and laid down in the Sow
let labor code.