Montana labor news., 1936-11-05
Soviet Labor Leader
Tells How Trade Unions
Help Run The Country
By HAROLD COY
Federated Press

DerS, take a Digger part III running
the U. S. S. R. and its planned econ
omy than is usually realized abroad.
They administer the Soviet Unions
vast social insurance program, which
includes not only benefits and pen
sions for all the hazards of life, but
a large amount of preventive medi-
cal and social work. They help draw
up the annual plans and the Swear
plans of which the world has heard
SO much. They engage in collective
bargaining, look after the interests
if Individual workers and sponsor
cultural activities ranging from con
certs to libraries.
Soviet trade unions function in a
different world and cannot be COM
pared in every respect to trade
unions in a n~on-socialist country.
These differences have given rise to
~conjectures that the trade unions
of the U. S. S. R. either have little
reason for being or else must be
merely rubber stamps of the gov
ernmental regime, Soviet trade un-
~ionists, however, tell quite a differ
ent story. To get for American read
ers an authoritative version of the
role of Soviet trade unions as their
own leaders see it, | interviewed
Nicholas Evreinov, secretary of the
All-Union Council of Trade unions,
at Moscow's Palace Of Labor.
While tea was served and a charm
ing young lady translated, Evreinov
tall, intelligent and very much in
earnest-stayed two hours beyond
quitting time, patiently answering al
long series of questions.
''The tasks of the trade unions in
a capitalist state and in a socialist
country are, of course, absolutely
different" he said. 1T is quite nat
ural that in a capitalist state the
main task of the trade unions is the
struggle against the capitals for al
increase of wages, for the reduction
of the working day and other work.
ing conditions. In our country, we
have no capitalists, as you know.
Our socialist state, as well as our
trade unions, have only one essential
aim-to improve the living and Gull
tural conditions of the workers and
the toiling masses"
This idea underlays Evreinov's en-
tire conception. In the Soviet Union,
production is not for private profit
but to meet human needs. More ma
chimes and increased efficiency do
not mean over-production and un-
employment. They mean increased
productivity, and this makes higher
wages possible. Our socialist econ
omy is a planned one" the Soviet
labor leader continued. Our plan
not only provides for the procutivity
of labor, but also for increasing the
wages of the workers"
Everything is planned in the Sow
let Union, even wage increases, but
plans are not just handed down from
above. They are the result of a series
Of discussions and negotiations in
which sharp Emergencies of opin-
ion" are at times expressed. AT each
stage of planning-in the local en-
terprise, state trust or state planning
commission-the trade unions help
the plan. At each enterprise, Eyre
inov related, the workers in general
meeting discuss their part of the big
plan. Sometimes they advance a
counter-plan. This is more likely to
call for increasing than for diminish
ing the goal of the enterprise, for
higher production will be reflected
to the benefit of all. The agreement
covering wages and production, as
finally approved by the workers, is
signed between the director and the
trade union committee chairman.
In the discussions of the higher
planning bodies also, trade union
representatives from the appropriate
industries or central committee are
invariably present to press the
unions views or, in some cases, to
urge a union in another industry to
increase the output of equipment or
machinery necessary to the first
unions goal.
Though strikes are considered n
necessary in the absence of any
fundamental divisions of interest,
Soviet trade unionists have their
own ways of correcting grievances
or raising hell with an unreasonable
bureaucratic director. A director
may always be called before a trade
union meeting or committee to dis
cuss or answer questions; if he were
to refuse to talk things over, right
away the next day his cartoon would
be in the wall newspaper of the
whole factory" Few directors would
defy such criticism and ridicule.
Wages are steadily increasing,
Evreinov said, pointing to increase
of Is per cent in mining, 16 per cent
in the chemical industry and % per
cent in the electrical industry in
1885 as examples. Many Stakhano-
vites are making 800, 1000 or more
rubles a month. A big price reduc-
ton is in prospect for 1887. In addi-
ton workers benefit from a special
fund, made up of 4 per cent Of the