The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-10

aries do not succeed in breaking up
the labor movement, they strive to
corrupt the revolutionary unions. In
some cases the old name of the union
is retained, but hirelings are put into
the leading positions as for instance,
in Hupeh and Kwangtung, while in
other cases the name of the union
is changed and the unions themselves
are converted into heterogeneous or
CARNATIONS united by inter union
committees, or into unions differ
entiated according to craft 1.-THE
United Union of Shanghai, the Unit
ed Unions in other Provinces, etc. J
Thus is the Capitalization of the
forces of the working class being
destroyed.
The yellow trade unions now ex-
isting in China may be divided into
two groups those which existed be-
fore the coup d'etat of Chang Kai
Shek, and those formed by the Kuo
Ming Tang since that event.
Canton Unions.
To the first type Of yellow unions
belong the Kwantung Labor Fedora
ton and the Mechanics Union of
Canton. These unions have embraced
and are embracing several thousands
of organized workers in China, hav-
ing but insignificant groups outside
of Canton. Both these organizations
rely upon the aristocracy of labor or
upon the existing guilds and coun-
trymen's organizations like the
Kwantung Federation of Labor.
Owing to their connections with the
merchants and compradores of Can
ton, these unions have always been
outspokenly reactionary, taking an
active part in the struggle against
the revolutionary trade unions. Thus,
in the crushing of the Canton revolt
in December 1927, armed detach-
ments of the Mechanics Union aided
the government troops in the fight
against the revolutionary workers.
The yellow trade unions formed
by the Kuo Ming Tang government
after the Chang Kai Shek stroke,
represent organizations of the semi
fascist type. These reactionary
unions, with the help of the troops,
have suppressed the revolutionary
trade unions in Shanghai, Wuhan,
Canton and elsewhere, having killed
the revolutionary leaders and the
militant members of the trade
unions. at the head of the yellow
or as the Kuo Ming Tang leaders
called them, 'reorganized"-trade
unions were placed the agents of the
generals who had nothing in common
with the working class.
Compulsory Arbitration.
The aim of the yellow trade unions
is to substitute compulsory arbitra-
ton for strikes, but in reality they
do not carry out even this. In the
majority of cases they act as the
simple agents of the bourgeoisie, ig-
noring entirely the demands and in
terests of the workers. Only in such
cases when it is a fight against a
foreign manufacturer, particularly
where the native bourgeoisie is not
firmly tied up with the imperialists,
the yellow trade unions sometimes
wage fight against foreign capital.
Such was the case during the strikes
Of the printers in the Japanese print
ing shops in Shanghai, during the
strike of domestic servants in for
eign families at Fushow, and so on.
At the same time the reactionary
trade unions do their utmost to sup
press every movement of the rank
and file. Thus, in August 1927, the
yellow Joint Committee" of the
Shanghai trade unions disbanded the
Council of Chairmen of the Factory
Nuclei, and in June 1928, it dissolved
the union of employees of second
hand merchandise shops for having
declared strike on its own initia-
tive. In some cases strikers were
arrested by squads from the yellow
trade unions and handed over to the
police.
Workers Indignant.
Such fragrant reactionary work of
the yellow trade unions has natur-
ally aroused tremendous indignation
among the workers. The latter have
answered the treachery of the lead