POSITION OF LABOR IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-01036R000100090098-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 27, 2000
• Sequence Number: 98
• Publication Date: January 11, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

V'VM IW. 51-~48
DEC 1951
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP81-01036R000100090098-5
U.S. Officials Only
SECRET
Czechoslovakia
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
REPORT NO.
SUBJECT Position of Labor in Czechoslovakia
PLACE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE (OF INFO.) Oct 1953
THIN DOCUMENT C NTAINN INPOOMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFtNSC
OR THL UNITED STATES, WITHIN THEMIANINO OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS 703
AND 714. OR THE U.S. CODE, Al AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVS.
CATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORI'LED PERSON IN
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
DATE DISTR. // SR,/ Sf
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
1,. Labor in Czechoslovakia expected nothing good whatever out of the currency
revaluation. There was severe disappointment over the general worsening of
the standard ot''living. It is true that it was accompanied by the abolition
of ration cards, but only.bread remained so cheap that it could be bought by
every laborer. Bread remains at, the fixed price of 2,80 kronen per kilo.
Pats, butter and bacon, which were off the market before the stabilization,
are now available, but prices on them are going up'al2nost daily. While the
cards were in force a.small amount. could. be bought, but it is hardly possible
any longer. Current prices are 85 per kilo for bacon, 80 per kilo for fats,
35 to 40 per kilo for meat, 50 per kilo for butter, but these prices cannot
be kept stable and are advancing.
2. For comparison, a second class worker in the building industry gets 700 to
800 kronen a month, while a first-class worker gets about 1,000. Deductions
for sickness, insurance, unemployment insurance and so on amount to about 300
kronen a month, A room in one of the industrial cities costs-170 to 180
kronen a month, and as a result many of the workers must live together.
3. Eating in the shop cafeterias is proportionally cheap, In most factories it
comes to about 10 kronen a day;.2 for breakfast, 5for either of the other
two meals. But,as these meals'are both scanty and poor, it costs at least
another 10 kronen a day to eat. When it is considered that Sunday meals must
be paid for also, about 350 kronen a month are necessary for food. This leaves
practically nothing for other needs to the average worker.
Specially skilled workers and miners get at most 1,200 kronen a month, if they
work on two of the Sundays.
SEE LAST PAGE Z;: AREA COIF
U.S. Officials Only
SECRET.
DISTRIBUTION ? STATE EV JARMY NAVY I jAIR FBI
This report is for the use within the USA of the Intelligence components of the Departments or
Agencies indicated above. It is not to be transmitted overseas without the concurrence of the
originating office through the ssista18j%3/1je c
Approved For Release G9 -~tC5 jt0,f0NR"jgV0q900W5
 Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP81-01036R000100090098-5
SECRET
-2-
5. 'There is a small allowance for children, but it is so insufficient that the women
and older children also have to work. There are certain industries in
which the position is still worse, A builderrs helper, for instance, can
only make 0.90 kronen an hour in a poor place, and thus must work three hours
for a kilo of bread, or 40 hours for a kilo of meat. This is one of the
reasons why few are willing to work in such an industry.
A midday meal in a state restaurant costs 15 kronen, or 20 kronen if one
wishes a better meal. In the ?peoplets buffets" a thin soup costs 1 to 2
kronen, a portion of vegetables, 3 kronen and afish, 5 kronen. A worker
can afford such a luxury only rarely. In the summer it is possible to buy
vegetables to piece out the bad factory cafeteria meals.
Since the stabilization, industrial products have gone up by 10 to 20 percent.
An overcoat cost 1,400 to 1,500 kronen. Cheap shoes from Zl.in cost 130 to
150 kronen, and hold together only a couple of months, Better shoes go up
to 400 kronen, and a really good overcoat comes to as much as 3,000. The
ordinary worker cannot dream of such a thing, There are many textiles on
the market but money to buy them is wanting. There are no longer any special
markets where articles. can be bought for foreign exchange or gold.
All businesses down to the smallest barbershops and tavern$ have been national-
ized.
Politics hardly interests the workers any longer. Except for the death of
Stalin and the fall of Beria, nobody talks about politics. The hard living
conditions occupy the whole attention of the workers, and the number of genuine
Communists decreases from day to day. In 1948 about 30 percent of the workers
were Communists by conviction, Today the number cannot be more than`8 or 10
percent and in the-building Industry It is down to 3percent.
10 The industrial center of Pilsen is no longer a C6mmunist. stronghold. The largest
peroentage,of Communists is in the Sudeten area,, which was colonized by the
Communists, especially in the mines.? The.strongest anti-Communist area is
Slovakia, where the people hold together tightly Anti-Czech-feeling there is
on-the increase, and develops against the Communist officials, functionaries and.
11. The political "education" of labor reached its maximum in 1948.. Since 1950
the political hours lost their appeal and since Stalin's death they are no
.longer held in many places. Not even the inscribed Party members take part
in the rallies in many cases. These Communists have in effect become Titoists,
since they are persuaded, that the :;.:Soviets and the current. Czechoslovak leader-
ship have betrayed the'Communist ideal. The authorities are aware of this and
it causes them'anxiety, but-they do not know how to combat. it.
12, Stalints pictures still hang in the old places. There are few pictures of
Malenkov to be seen. The names of the other 'Soviet Party leaders are hardly
known and their pictures are nowhere to be seen.
13. Subscription to the Communiitt journals is not compulsory, but advisable if one
is to,.keep up with things. The :heads of the state undertakings are without
exception Communists by necessity.
14. Travel is unlimited in the country and papers are only seldom examined on
trains. Travel is expensive, 0.20 kronen a kilometer.
SECRET
I.. E NARY ..S.U734CCT ?i . AREA CC-,
781.11 27M
773.11.: 27M
762.2 27M
781.12 27M
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP81-01036R000100090098-5