REPORT OF EXECUTIVE BUREAU TO V RILU CONGRESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-01226R000100130003-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: REPORT

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REP 0 R T
O F E g E~ ~C U T I V B II ,P P. A' U T O
v R~EII ao~~~~~s.
u5r ~N~~ ,
PART II?
ffrrrrrrrrrerrr
The ~Por~d Crisis. Conditions o~ the Workixig Class
The Strike Struggle.
~+~-~ ~
-il-~r-i3--~ III.
The ~Porking~~ Day in Capitalist Countries .
rrfrrrrfrrrrerrrrrrrfrrrrrfrr-fllrrfrft~rlft~l
M O$ C O W
SOLYANKA I2, RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOUR UNIONS.
r f r f r r r r
r f r r r t r
r r
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No .2021.
r. 2-
Tli, "~ORKING D~~' ?PZ C~~PITALIST COUI3T1tI~S.
t~~i~~tt~?tt~~~t-t~~tt~~tei~t~~!i~+~~tt~
Forking hours in all capitalist countries have gradually,~but stew dw
ily increased during; the last few years. The percentage roorking 48 hours
a week and less in unceasingly decreasing. At the pr?aent tine the average
week for industrial workers i~ from 54 to 60 hours, for agricultural
workers fi0'Y?.ours and quite often even 70 hours. It is difficult to estab-
lish the real duration of the working day from official data, as th9 irq:~+
tidation into :~orkin; hours carried out by official bodies axe for the revs
part incomplete and only cover enterprises and industries in which the
working hours are rel:~tively favourable, i.a.~ where the 48--hoax working
weak is still in force, or if exceeded, is exceeded byy very littla~ The
same may be said of the materials of the Internatione3. Labour Offico,
which in the raa,~ority of cases refer to countries where the working week
is fron 48 to 54 hours, saying nothing however of the Lantern and colonial
countries, whore the workinE; day is unlimited.
The capitalist offensive against the eight hour: working day is mani-
fested in vs,rious forms. It is cor~aon knowledge that most countri?s have
ratified the ~7ashington Light IIour Day Convection (for the most part the
small countries ratified all the conventions in a body). The ratification
of these conventions was o~f a purely formal character, and the laws pas-
sed. on working hours in various countries af~t'ord the widest. possibilities
for the irafringer~ant of the night hour day. ~n some m untries (for instano
Czecho-Slovakia, Germany, r~ustria, Prance, Belgium and others) a whole
series of s ystemat is infxinger~ents of the "le ;ally established" eight-
hour working day has beon carried out, by special P?rrnits tv prolong tho
working day from 8 to 9 hours (ov~artir~e) while tar the workers worn grad--
ually got "accustomed" to the 9-hour day, it was lvfi~ in force, and
through the legal permissions t'or overtimo, prolonged to IO and mo re hours
Thus, for instance, we see in Germany (The Rhine province), that more than
4#3 hours a week pre worked '~y 21.5gb in the building industry, 5.7~ in
the chemical, 1701% in the boot and shoe industry, 20.4~b in the textile
industry and even 5005 in the rnetca,l industry. .~t the same time, short
time is very ~riuespread (33.6 of the textile workers, 27.4 of the boot.
and shoe operatives, etc.). In the North ir7estexn metallurgical industry,
only 24,525 workers have a 48-hour week, whilst a 54 to 57 hoax week is
worked by 174,00 workers. The ~'aoxking hour Bill proposed by the speial- _.
fascist "7iessel provides for the prolonation of the present working hours
standards. Paragraphs II of the ?~'7orkir~g Day .Regulations establishe4 the
working day "in princi.pl?" at 8 hour ~. Thanks to the "rosvrvations" con-
tained in Pars, 12-17, the 8-hour da.~. 3stablished "in principle", (in full
conformity with the ~1rit of the '7a~.iin,~;ton Convention) own again be
abolished, and in fact the IO--hour day established or introduced in its
place. According to this Bill, the wages agreement may provide for 300
overtime hours anually, which automhtically lengthens the wo r$ing day t a
9 hours. Besides these 300 overtime hours, however, the Qerman B6lnieter
for Labour '"rnay permit additional overtir`av work, and thus the law ?4s it
stands today, gives the employer the opportunity to demand 600 overtimme
hours, which makes a IO-hour working day. Tho same may be said of other
countries where the 9 and IO hour working day, in roost cases is introduces
in similar Wanner. In one of its recent reports, the. Nationa~ Bank of
Czecho-`~lovakia wrote:
"The intensivity of overtime during the last few months has been
e..ceptionally favourabl?. The total number of overtime hours worked-
in July 1929 (1 823,000 hrs) has resahed th? highest July figure
since the establishment of the 8epublie!"
It should be borne in mind, however, that the official data only
gives the legally permitted overtime hours. The rep cts do not state host
many "u.nper:zitted" overtime hours have, been perform,C3 by tke workers t~to,
ettinry, as they do cxiserably low waves, see in this the only weans
~he slight?st to improve their natArial position.
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Parallel ~~:ith increased working hours, we see that the productivity
of lei;our has like~trise increased, The employersr thougY:, do not content
themselves ~?~ith this, and are directing their offensive against wages
also, developing a widespread campaign for..worsened working conditions.
The first symptoms are already to the fore, and they can. be seem clearly
in the memorandum of the Germar. Industrialists' Association.
Vm.ilf t hundreds of thousands of workers are doing from 48 to 60
hours a walk, other hundreds of thousands are unable to find employment,
and lose all hope of ever being drawn into the in3ustrial process. The
position on the labour market is far worse than it was formerly.
Working llours in Germany~
The itzyestigatiozz into working hours undertaken in February 1930
by the National Federation of German Trade Unions, covering over 63,800
enterprises, with a total ;.umb6r of ~.7 million workers, showed the
follo~vir~ working hours, including overtime,
Hence it may be established that the percentage of short-time workers
has increased at the expense of the percentage tivorking more than 48
hears a weeks Naturally, as a result of the depression, overtime iri many
branches of industry is considerably less expensive than during booms;
during depressions, in place of overtime, paid or unpaid prodactioil is
restricted and workers diwmissed or t!:Q or:s hand, and o? tY~e otrier hand.,
the employers lengthen the crorking day to 9 and rnorv hours a:'or those
workers who are still employed
We iiad the folbwing position 'in the various branches of industry
in rebruary
No, wrxs
coming Short
INDUSTRY under
invests- workers
g~atians.
Hours i'ol? a~'all-Time -Vorr:ex~s,
Up t o Adore the rz of vrli i ish .umber more
28 Yirs 48 hours. than :~1 hrs, were
incl. worked by
Building
I98, ??.38
-~
95. ~~
4. 8~r6
0, 5N
Bookprintirg
9',450
3o~j
93,6~y,~
~.8~
0.~5~C;
Chemical
'
~;~5I,405
I9, ~~
"7~ho Qy~
7,4~
~,? ~;
.loodworkiriE;
188,46I
:'0, Vii,
"l6, 8~,
ti. ~
p. 4N
1~Ietallu~-
gical 1,d76,8f~
N4o "7y:~
53, Iii
;~;~,
S. (~,
Boot & Shoe '~I,899
~~f~ Up
60o Ei`N
304,E
p. ].;.,
Textiles
439,7'58
:j1, 9~N
45,x;
~;~. ~~;
p, g~,
In some industries, ti~rhich tied to contend against marketing diffieul-
ties, the nuc~ber cif short tir;~e tivorkers has increased. This is the ca?e
ohiefly fin the boot an~i shoe trades and in the textile industry of South
West Germany, where on tale average over 300 of gall the ti~:orkers were on
the short working; week 143ore th~~; fr~3 }ours are worked particularly in
the Rhine :iistricts and iri '=r?~t;~hal.ia. T~!e ~~:orking hours, in February
19~~0, in these districts wereb
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IJ ~ . .'J:%r s
coming un-
der inves-
Short time
Hours for 7?ull-Time workers,
vaor;cers,
------~--------------?-----~----____-__
tigation. Up to 48 More than Of which num-
hrs~incle 48 hrs. bar more than.
;i4 hrs , were
worked by :
Rhine ::list. 37I,366 19o4gb 42,8~i 3708 ?.9~
Westphalia 7,89,392 ~:6,0~6 25,~1b 48,8 4,4y'~
The table below shawl the extensive infringement o~: t~3e 48-hciur
working week in the various branches of industry {this table , toe, refe;~s
to the Rhine district and Pleatphalia} o
More than: 48 hours worked in Febo 1930 bS~
Building Chemical ~tetalo Boot ~c Shoe Textile
i n d u s t r i e s
Rhine llis triet ~Io 5gb 5e 7gb 50. 59b 170 l5~ z4.4gb
testphalia 5e ~~ 38e lib 56.1 _ 34a 29b
Consequently MOitY THAN HALF of $11 the metal workers who came under
the investigation in these two districts worked more than 48 hours a week.
Simultaneously, the percentage o.t' short-tic,.e workers has greatly inare8-
se~ This catebory of workers in tYie textile industry of the Rhine die-
tr~c~ comprises 63, 6~i, among the boot rind shoe operatives, 27,4 and
among the metal workers 19,~jb; in Westphalia, the percentage oi' shart-
time workers among the metal workers was ~>0,5gb, and among the 't'extile
workers was l~ia 9~,
The data of the National Federation of German Trade Unians are
ABSOI.t7TELY INCOMPLEir:: IN .?~,ALITY ;,~F'P.JXII~SATTLY HALF OF t-.T.L i~il+' INIx7$TRIAL
'1~ORIG~;FtS are doing more than 48 hours a week. The STATE: STATISTICAL HOARD
recently undertook an investigation covering 86,000 chemical workers,
Which established that more than half of these work cs investigated on
the average work more than 48 hours a week. If ws aka the men employed
in the various industries and trades alone, we see that the percentage
working more than 48 hours a week is from 60a~ upwards, rising as high as
78.1i~o In the Rhine-ti~estplzalian metallurgical industry, cut of 55,000
workers who came under the investigation, three-fourths worked mare than
48 hours a week. In the textile ia~dustry, more thaw two?~thirds work
over 48 hours aweek. -
The, German ~Fet~l l7Arkers ? Union publishes a ~Qint announcement
with the Christian and Hirsch?DunY.er metal workers' unions. on its atti-
tude to the revision oi' tlr? wage agreements for the North Yiestern metal
industry. It is evident from this announcement treat the metal workers,
as a result of the despicable arbitration deoision awarded by Severing,
and as a result of tre treaChei?y of the unionf have to work unbelievably
long hours;
Only '.:4,525 have a 48~hour weeks
whilst 111,390 tivork up to 54 hours:
and G3,000 work up to :~? hours et week,
France ,
The eight hour day was legally introduced in Franc? in 191.9, Within a
few years, ho~~ever, it was abolished in marine and railway transport. A
special sot was issued for industry,permitting a certain number of addi-
tional hours to ba worked annually, namely :
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No. of additional hours.
Textile industry - -- 150 w - - - __
b4etallurgical " .100.
Building iadustry 150;
Electrical industry o l30,130 $3
Metal, 1,905,572 148,311 '7~ 8 84,964 4. 5 1p57,"142 55.5 614,555 32,;~
Boot & Shoe Il8,5:58 .,5,674 47.0 ~i~,84O 3.~: 41,536 35.0 14,488 14,Q
Textile 694,784 148,~.~05 21.4 41,705 6.0 301,''64 43.4 203,410 2$ 2
Mining 1,800,035 4,884 0,5 103,491. 10.3 ' 6~k5,487 64.0 254,215 25.2
_....~__.a_,.,._..._.~,........_,,._-~___a,.~_~~_._..y __.~._A_~._..._m_ _____.___~w._____~__-__.~ 1 .,_
5,O75,~i5Ei ~384,G26 7.6 ~416,345 ~ 8.~: 2~i95,639 59.0179,046 25~
- ~ These figures show that we^seo theubest erorking conditions, as re-
gards hours, iii the building, woodworking,~and printing industries: in the-
se industries the number of .workers employed, more than. 48 hours a tiveek com-
prises only 11~ 8~, 90 3y~ and 10, ~ respectively, whilst tie number ?of short-
time workers is insignificant. Yee meet vrith a comparatively large number
of workers employed more than 48 hours a weak ii' the metallurgicei indtl8t-
ry (32,2 a vreek, whilst the workers in the steel foundries in place
of 520 6 hrs~ ~?rark 53~ 7 hours a week.
The vrorking week in' saw mills fluctuates frog, 55.2 to 57.8 hrs.
In the boot x: shoe trades there is a slight increase from 49 to 49.1 hours
on the average, a.n the c~?ttan spinning mills hours have increased from
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b3.3 to 53.4 der weak, in the sugar industry the working We4k is 55 and
morn hours .
The la*r o.~ working hou_'~e yrovides or the eight hour deg Ohly in
the mininb industry,- and provides fora 10-hoar dad for industrial workers.
un.i tramwaymen. The working week for drug; store and arooery store employes
ie pf still longer duration (70 hours),
lauAdries is most intereetin~
~l~ work 48?h~urs and less hours a w?ek.
G9y~ " 48-;;5 hours.
10~ " 55 hours and more. art as et.
The rive-day week (5 out of 7) does not play a big p y
It has been iritroduoed, Dartielly, in the needlfl. trades (teen's tailors)
in the :~utpmobile, iron and steel end building industries. &ince 16+46
the number of ti:orce... = ~ the "'-day week ~i oreasec~ a~s follows
Indus try
rereentage oi~ ~:-day week
1926
198
Men' a ta~lor~
3~;.~
33~'
Automobile ~._1Hustry
1'~'
4~
$uilding (organised)
6.~
~
1
Iron fouiidrieu a%:d
maohirle oo .struction
~. ~
4.156
The rrorki~;
more hour3,
day under the rive--day week system is not eight but
M e x i a o.
The data on the workir~ hours for v:omen at factories, stares ar~d
1[etal wrxro. (priv. )9
~overut, enterer.) 8-8~/2
Yddtal ~rorkers~in
There are the followint; data ~~ . working
Miners 9-10 hours.
Food ~ Drink
Bakers
Buzldera
A~;riculturel
Hotel w restau-
rant:. emylo;~ees
14-16
hours ir- Meacioo
l~orkirl~ hours !il Canada;.
The Canadian Government pa.sed a law in 196 introducing the 8-hr
workia~, day. The table belotir ~Y.o~w hov tail law is observed. From it we see
that the worYi~n~~ day i:, must iri~iusti~~es has clot uilly t,; t beeri reduced t0
8 hours ai~~oe 19~G , ?btp atf'cialtdata, the average durationaofvthebwor-
1e.z~tl~eiied. oacordfn~
king week (ia hours) was durinG the period under comparison Winni e .
uebeo. Yo treat. oronto.
Miners 196
b~. ~
1a~:9
59.. 5
Metal .Jrkrs. 196
5F=.5
198
~ ? ~%
Tramsraymen
,19;6
~8.
1`'ti9
59. ~
.%ivil ~~ervan~a w6
48
(polioe)
1929
48
~' 3 ~ 44
4 ,
50.7 48 48
~a0.9 48 49
60,1 4 ~. 4 43.6
6U,1 45.6 ~4, 8
_ 48 48
- as ~e
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 PuUlic Uti-
1lties
Trunk chauf-
feurs
- - The hours :i'or the aaxi7.ia~y wo:rke~rs ,in the building industry are
oi' exeaptianally lout; durati.cn; in ~,iaebeo (in 19~Ei and 199) they were
on the average.-u0 per week, in L-ontreal 55-60, in Toronto 44-60 end
in 7i~.nnipeg, fro~a 50 to 60 hours a week. _~~
Iri ,aany ;other industries, the work~.g week,is as long as 60 hours.
For lti'., ~anc? i : thb '~' .
Urd m1n' n~ in~iust.ry : ~. ~ hrs
Textile 50w55 "
Sawmills fii0 hrs.
racskin,g Howes ~ DO~~tL "
. Flour mills SO~EiO
Grain elc~v~tor:-: ~
The unskilled woxkers at tale factories in ,~uebec 1,