LABOUR IN RUSSIA.

Matamata Record, Volume VI, Issue 432, 30 April 1923, Page 1

LABOUR IN RUSSIA.

CHANG ED R EGIJ LATIONS. The Moscow correspondent of a Boston paper recently wrote: Russia's new economic policy has naturally effected a profound modification of the laws affecting labour. The Soviet State no longer claims the right to assign every individual to some definite field of work, nor does it acknowledge the obligation to pay full wages to (he involuntarily unemployed. Along with tho concessions to capital which characterised the change of economic policy there have been parallel concessions to labour. Now ; that the State is no longer the sole : employer the worker is no longer 1 bound'to his job by semi-military discipline. In Russia, as elsewhere, laws are apt to follow, rather than precede, changed economic conditions. The I new laws of labour adopted at the reI cent session of the All-Russia Soviet ' Executive Committee in large mcasi tire merely register and regulate pracf ticcs which have been in force for a year or more. In an effort to find out alone what lines the labour policy of the Russian Government is likely to develop under these new laws, T interviewed Mr. Schmidt, the youthfullooking Commissar for Labour. "First of all," said Mr. Schmidt, " the new laws unreservedly maintain the eight hour day, both in State and in private industry. This is one of the conquests of the Revolution which we shall never surreader. In fact, eight hours is a maximum rather than a mimimum term of work, for in trades like, mining, which aro recognised as injurious to the health, we uohold and enforce a six hour day. " Moreover," continued Mr. Schmidt, "the new code establishes the right of the worker to conclude an individual agreement with his employer if he so desires. Our workers are no I loncrcr automatically registered in unions; thev are free to join or not to join, as they like. If a man thinks he can secure better terms by bargaining individually than by bargaining collectively, he is free to do so. However, we. impose certain qualifications on this .right. We have a minimum wage scale varying with different types of work: and we have a code of laws designed to safeguard the workers ao-ainst ommessive and insanitary conditions of labour. Any contracts which violate these laws and waero scales are invalid." "In general." T asked, "what is the policy of the Soviet Government in cases of industrial conflict?" " So far as possible," renlicd Mr. Schmidt, "we keep our hands off."