The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-24
COMPLETE SELL
OUT OF GERMAN
METAL WORKERS
S ev ering, Socialist" :"
Capitulates to
Employers
Workers Are Enraged
Communists Build Left
Wing Committees
Workers Are Enraged

BERLIN, Dec. 23.-Carl Severing,
the social-democratic minister of the
interior, who had been appointed as
impartial and Competent" arbi-
traitor in the Ruhr metal lockout, an
nounced decision today which is
a blatant and open capitulation to
the metal employers.
His decision called for a 57-hour
working week and extremely small
increases in wages, ranging from /
to 6 pfennings (about 1 cent? an
hour. The decision is to be effec-
tive January /, 1929. The scale of
increase represents an even lower
award to piece workers than that
given by the labor court which pre-
ceded the lockout, and in most cate
gories of workers grants only /
or 2 pfenning increase per hour.
Workers Enraged.
The reformist labor unions had
agreed to allow the workers to re-
turn to the mills while Severing's
decision was pending and they had
further bound themselves to accept
all the employers demands until the
award was given. They had COM
pleted their betrayal by agreeing
to accept the decision no matter
what it was.
Militants Fight.
The workers affected by the lock-
out numbered 225,0O0 and now they
face even worse conditions than be-
fore, with the virtual collapse of
the unions and the victory of the
employers in this heavy industry.
From the very beginning of the
lockout on Nov. l the revolutionary
left wing and the Communist Party
had led the unorganized and mill
tant workers in the struggle against
the betrayal Of the labor takers.
Mass meetings attended by thou
sands of workers demanded direct
struggle against the owners instead
of appealing to the bosses courts as
the refornists did. They had point
ed out that the struggle was of
tremendous political significance
since it was primarily a maneuver
by the employers association to as
sert its power over the labor unions
and thus open the way for more
unemployment and increasing ell
ploitation.
Reformists Aid Bosses.
Thruout the whole lockout the
reformist labor leaders played the
game for the employers. Refusing
to follow the demands of the left
wing that general strike be called
in Germany to combat the onslaught
of the metal employers on the
workers, they instead cooperated
with the bosses in suppressing the
left wing and prosecuting the Com
munists. By going to the courts
and promising beforehand to accept
the decision of an official of a gov
eminent which wanted to increase
its metal exports and gain a more
advantageous place in the sun of
world Imperialism, they completely
sold out the workers. The betrayal
not only affects the 225,000 metal
workers, but all workers in Ger
many, since it is a capitulation to
the bosses and a surrender of the
unions.
The bogey used by the employers.
that their profits were low and that
they had to keep wages down and
hours long, was proved to be abso-
lutely false even by an imperialist
economist. Gilbert, American repair
ations general, in his report yes
terday on the condition of German
industry, showed in figures that the
Reich metal industries were eiitreme-
ly well off and that their profits
were extremely high. Exports in
German steel has risen to such an
eutent during the last few years
that it has become one of the prin-
ciple steel sources on the world
market.