WAGE SCALES IN LATVIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A001600180006-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2005
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: June 29, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2005/06/30 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA001600180006-9
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document centdan lnfeemM i ageotlag the Xe-
ticnni Defense of the United fiesta, within the mern-
fag of Title id. decuos IS and 7pe, of thq U.S. Cade, as
emended. Its tressanisrien or :ems of its emaoenjs
to or receipt by an ups heieed seree4 Is prraablted
by low. The repeoduetien of ON SW M Is preMlbited.
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COUNTRY USSR (Lat'vian SSR)
SUBJECT Wage Scales an Latvia
5X1 DATE OF INFO.
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REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
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29 June 1953
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Salaries of Milita Personnel
1. Soldiers - in the -Latiiaii...Ari receive:' 60" 'e bleI a *onth. In- the "navy, the
personnel are better dreEied", cad also ;receive" a ' betterbale - pay = ' 100 to
120 rubles.. a..Aonth. ' A sailor' ItiC 'ft a spm4slit4d,' egg y in . electricity,
and "has earxied` the -titlb` of _ s et receives ?400.. ;rubles a
month. A chief-petty officer 'receyiu76 - r'iibles 'a' month, approximately
the same as that cif 's, junior` lisutiAaat;... Chief- petty officers usuall'y' are
sailors-who haiie 6filUted...for an extended duty period after having served
their compulsory enlistment.
Salaries of Militiamen
2. An ordifiary militiaman- who". does.'_beat duty ' receives ?500' rubles a month, and
a lieutenant in the militia receives 700 rubles a month,
ages of Industrial Workers
3. In the Tosmare Shipyard the best-paid wor4ers are those with a' specialty,
who are in Category VII and receive 1200-'1300 rubles a month. 'There are
only about 50 or 60 such workers in'the yard., Workers in'categories IV to
VI receive between 600 and 800 rubles a-scth,'and the'smonthly pay of?un-
skilled workers is about 400 rubles; factory guards, 350 - 400 rubles; and
a storekeeper, 450 rubles. Workers in the locomotive and car repair shops
generally receive less than workers at Tosmare Shipyard. Vaiload employees
arse heard complaining about their low pay;-- a senior car-axle tmster re-
ceives 550 - 600 rubles a month.,and a switchman, only 300 rubles.
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STATE x IARMY NAVY X A1R X FBI AEC
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 Approved For Release 2005/06/30 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA001600180006-9
SECRET,
4, The best-paid workers in the Sarkanais Metallurgy Steel Mill are the
bricklayers who repair the Martin furnaces, These men are in Category
VII and earn as much as 2D00 rubles a mouth, including overtime; other
workers in the Martin furnace section are in categories VI and VII and
earn up to 1000 rubles a month. High wages also are paid in the wire-
drawing mill~of Sarkanais Metallurgy; there is no shortage of workers
in this mill. therefore, although the work is hazardous,, with accidents
occurring almost daily. The accidents are attributed to the fact that
the plant is old. Workers in Catgory VII in this mill earn between 1200
and 1300 rubles a month, Category VII workers in the electrical section
of the factory earn only 800 - 900 rrubles a month, so that this section
is not too popular-with the workers. A foreman averages between 800 and
900 rubles a month,, excluding bonuses, which vary greatly and are basked
on savings in material and power, The novatoratyo,,or suggestion pro-
gram, is an occasional source of'extra income. A suggestion does not
have to be a new invention, a worker can s est the application of an
idea leaned-from a book or trade a er,
an a proposal cer e by e mans.
g
to be a new ea s no ways guaranteed to merit a bonus, particularly
in the case of foremen and engineers, who are expected to make such
proposals as part of their position.
Salespeople and Other Groups
5. A salesman"receives 300 to 400 rubles a month; the manager of a business,
500 rubles. Quarterly . bonuses'- for overfulfillment of the plan are provi-
ded for, but seldom is the plan overfulfilled.- These classes of workers
are forced to resort to devious methods of augmenting their income. One
method is`to reserve scarce goods for customers able and willing to pay
a premium, or otherwise to dispose of scarce goods to their personal ad-
vantage. The bookkeepers are the best paid of office workers, receiving
a minimum of 450 rubles a month. A bookkeeper with a college education
receives 150 rubles more, and a chief bookkeeper receives more than the
manager of a business. Grade school teachers receive 600-rubles a month.
Doctors usually are not paid more than 500 rubles a month, although they
can have private practice; high taxes are a prohibitive factor in the
latter case, Housekeepers receive 550 rubles a :month and janitors are
paid 200 rubles; a private tailor may make 1200 - 1300 rubles a"month.
Fisherman
6. Members of the Bolshevik Fishing Kolkhoz receive 350 rubles for a ton of
fish, and this amount is divided among the members-of the crew, the cap-
tain-receiving 2'shares, the machinist, 1.9 shares, the assistant cap-
tain, 1.8 shares, etc. After fulfilling the quarterly plan, the members
of the kolkhbz receive double pay for each ton of fish over the plan.
The average pay of a fisherman is estimated to be about 900 rubles a
month, and a captain's,, 1200 - 1300 rubles, The president of the kolkhoz
receives a fixed salary of 900 rubles a month, but he also receives a
percentage of the proceeds from overfulfillment of the plan. The chief
bookkeeper of the kolkhoz receives 1200 rubles a month.
Part Members
7, Party membership does not mean'an increase in salary, as only Party
officials receive compensation. For example,'grade school teachers who
manage the Pioneers in their schools receive 50 rubles a month from the
Party. Informants can cite only the case of an acquaintance who went to
Asite as arm _torg, who received 800 rubles a month.
K'olkhozniki
8. Even farmers in well-to-do kolkhozy"receive only some produce and not
more than two or three rubles a day. A farmer forfeits three days' wages
if he has to borrow a kolkhoz horse to travel to town. Tractor drivers
have been heard complaining about their low pay, but no figures are known.
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Approved For Release 2005/06/30 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA001600180006-9