The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-05
The Social Insurance System
in the Soviet Union

Surance, and the kinds and types
of insurance.
Every factory now takes care of
the development and distribution
of such insurance funds, as well as
hospitals, nurseries, etc. Previous
ly social insurance was distributed
on a territorial basis. Before the
introduction of the Five Year Plan
there was still unemployment and
the government gave out unem-
ployed insurance on territorial
basis. The Fiye-Year Plan did
away with unemployment, in
creased the material and cultural
level of the masses, and along with
it developed a full system of So
cial and health insurance.
HINDER this system of insurance
U the Soviet worker is secure. He
is protected against illness. His
family is taken care Of in case of
death. He has vacations with pay.
He has free sanitoriums to cure
illness.
The basic unit of social insurance
is the plant. The trade union com
mittee assigns a worker from the
factory to be responsible for the
functioning Of social insurance in
the particular plant. All of the ac-
tual work is conducted on social
basis, that is, the workers in the
factory are involved in carrying
out the social insurance. One del
egate is elected by each 100 work
ers. This delegate body is then
divided into groups (brigades. they
are called with special functions
to perform. The following groups
are formed:
PENSION BRIGADE.
This brigade checks up on appli-
cations, makes investigations and
checks up on the conditions for
thase entitled to old age pensions
and for those who are disabled
partially or completely.
MEDICAL BRIGADE.
This is the main brigade. 1t
checks up on the medical aid the
worker gets in the factory, in the
local city where the worker lives
and at the hospitals. This group
establishes special commissions to
keep tab on the workers health
records in order to assign them to
rest homes and sanitoriums for
the summer vacations. They keep
close check on money allotted for
this work and how this money is
spent. They also investigate the
diets in the kitchens and the prep
aration of food. Check-up is con-
Quoted of the special diets for sick
workers. Living conditions are in
vestigated to prevent congestion,
improve sanitary conditions, etc.
When a worker is i'll and is taken
to the hospital, one delegate is i'm
mediately allotted to be responsible
to check up on how he is being
taken care of and he has to report
to the group the progress of the
patients health.
EDUCATION AND PROPAGANDA
IL BRIGADE. This brigade ar
ranges for lectures on various sub
jects of sanitary and preventa-
tive nature. Hygiene corners are
organized where books and pamph-
lets are available on the care Of
the body, on prevention of sick
ness and caution against accidents.
This group also conducts a column
in the factory press, in which they
publish the results of their work.
The slogans of this brigade are:
mot a single accident, Save
workers health" and "Diet kit
chens are one of the links in the
production plan"
CARE or WOMEN.
Special Insurance for Women. In
the land where the workers rule
the working women does not only
benefit by the regular insurance
allotted to all workers, but she
gets special care and insurance.
Pregnant women are given two
months vacation with pay before
and after childbirth. The insur-
ance fund provides that when a
child is born, the mother receives
an order for carriage, blankets,
diapers, baby clothes, etc. This lay
out amounts to about $500 in the
open market. Also, to the pay is
added eight roubles month for
milk for a period Of nine months.
Medical care is given during the
entire period of pregnancy. Spe-
cial consultation points are opened,
where women receive advice before
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