The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-25
BAR LABOR JURY AT J0BLESS COMMITTEE TRIAL
The 7-Hour Day; Its Role in
Overcoming Unemployment
in the i. S. S. r.

..1n the old Russia length working day fixed by
lowed But in practice the length Of the working day was not decided
by this role played by the degree organization
and solidarity of the working the
overtime provincial the working
day reality considerably than II hours Only in the big
industrial ners the working day the eve OF the
was kept at the level of 10 hours
of bringing about
s-hour working day.
Only the setting of the dictatorship the proetarat made it
grant demand of the working
the Government fix the
shour working day the maximum for all ers, and reduction
to hours for all workers occupied
harmful to the health underground and likewise for workers who
had not reached the age Of Is years.
of the shour day. the strict limiting of
overtime the introduction of shortened working in harmful in
industry the UsR ncung overtime work. consisted in 1927
of average of hours 80 minutes
As is we'll known the Government stopped
Having completed industry which destroyed
by the and intervention and having started the complete
building Of industry agriculture socialist lines the Soviet
ernen in accordance with the program OF the Communist Party
Soviet Union commenced further shortening of the working day.
Two and half 7hour working day deced order
mark the tenth anniversary of the octover Revolution The 7hou
day be introduced gradually At the time will be
interesting to examine how far the working class of the u R.
has actually solved this important problem which of tremendous
social and cultural importance
The textile industry the first the hOur working
with
work 7hour After the textile workers. other
industry began introduce the shortened working day. In 92s9
reached $4,000 in 1923 factories and works including ia factories
heavy industry January year,
who have passed the hou day had according
to incomplete data.
At the of the financial October 1 the number
Of workers Soviet industry and who will be working the
these factories who will have their working day shortened the
time the workers This number also does not include the workers
and in which according the 7hour working
be introduced from the Thus the end of the
the number of workers the hour day will reality be
nearly 100000.
The partial introduction 7hour already
industry hours day fully in opera
ton the average working day. take into consideration the
duced working day ess than hours in harmful industries will be
not more than hours As minutes
The introduction the shortened working day U,
has has be @ mO b o Wages as on T contrary
the of the workers textile which
factories metalurgca mining and chemical
industries increased by to cent after the introduction
of the 7-hour day.
The introduction the day industry usually
accompanied by the organization
factory, Shifts tremendous
production This growth
number of workers in the our factories consequently
duction and partial complete liquidation unemployment
for instance when the 7hour day introduced the first "a textile
factories in the increased demand for workers absorbed
all the unemployed textile workers
in the local labor exchanges And in labor
compelled as to satisfy the evgrowng demand of the
to the rapid preparation of worker cdres from
rounding vlages.who had never before worked for
The following figures give vivid picture the
total of s2e which had passed on the shortened working dv %e
October 1929 the number of workers increased per
textile factories the number of workers by per cent after
the introduction of the hour days in another factories
crease 45 cent and only So factories (ou
small factories the number of unchanged after the
Introduction Of the shortened working day In branches of
dusty the increase the number of workers after
Of the 7hour day increased by 81
number who working before working shortened
(e. g. the leather industry.
While in all capitalist there going on an actual
frightening Of the working day. working u s.
is inflexby carrying out the shortening of the working
The complete introduction working in all fac
tories without exception the u finished y October
93S by the end of the Five Year program However, may
confidently say that the with which the Year
Plan being carried out will make speed up the
pete introduction of the 7hou working day besides this
successful carrying out of the Five Year construction
will make possible for the working class of the IT, S. to
future further shortening working hours and
the introduction Of the 6-hour working day. -