Factory Workers and the Bosses

The Revolution and the Strike of the Laundresses. Summer 1917

Items from the Bolshevik Press

Original Source: Pravda, Summer 1917.

The Revolution and the Strike of the Laundresses

Pravda, June 8/June 21, 1917

In the 9 May 24/June 6 session of the Section of the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies the following was resolved: (1) To give organized protection to the striking laundresses while they picket the laundry plants to prevent strike breakers from being hired. (2) In the event of a lockout, to requisition these plants by means of the Soviet and the trade unions and turn them over to the regular workers so that these laundries may be municipalized at the earliest possible moment.

The strike has been going on for twenty-six days. The bosses have agreed to all demands, but refuse to pay wages for the time the workers have been on strike. They want to throw the blame on the workers, claiming that the workers did not want to take the peaceful road to settlement. But the bosses forget that it was they who wanted no peaceful settlement. That left the workers but one means; to strike, and only that way were we able to extract from the bosses these pitiable concessions. When the strike began they dawdled for two weeks and proposed no negotiations with us. They said that they were closing their laundries for three months, in order to sell their equipment, and thus wanted to frighten the workers. But they forgot that the days of monarchy have passed and with it their unlimited power and that the workers are now strong. The bosses even now threaten the workers with closing and are already closing their plants. The workers cannot requisition the plants with their own strength. They request that comrades more experienced in such matters help them to take the practical steps to requisition; help them actively because the bosses sit in ambush, protected. Armed troops have been sent and don't allow us to go in.

Many factories have contributed funds for the striking laundresses.

The Congress of Factory Inspectors

Pravda June 28/July 11, 1917

On June 10/23 the congress of factory inspectors began in Moscow. It was convened to take up questions of legislation with regard to protecting labor, the execution of inspection, etc ... All workers know what the factory inspection was and what it still is ... It was established by the tsarist government after consultation with the industrialists only and was meant to serve their interests. In conflicts between labor and capital the government inspectors went against the workers, took part in persecution of workers' organizations and even had contacts with the secret police. The inspector who was too obviously partial to the interests of the workers soon lost his job ...

Not improvement and reform of the State inspectorate, but a basic transformation of it is the workers' slogan. The factory inspectors must depend not on the government and the business men but on the workers ... Down with bureaucratic inspection! ... It must be the task of all workers' organizations to struggle for elected factory inspectors.

The Soikin Printing Shop

Rabochii Put' September 7/20, 1917

For a long time something rotten in the printing shop had been observed by the factory committee. Nothing was done to repair or replace machines or to replace worn out parts. The factory committee gave the factory administration an estimate of the essential improvements needed, but this estimate was pigeonholed. Attempts to bring a state of order to the enterprise was met with the fiercest opposition by the factory administration. A picture of sabotage on the part of the owners was becoming clear. But only now quite by accident has the desire of the administration become evident to the workers. They mean to sell all the machines to speculators who in their turn expect to sell the machine parts to various factories. A major printing house destroys itself. Hundreds of workers will be thrown on the street, and this just at the time when the elections to the Constituent Assembly is nearing and the services of the printing houses will be especially needed.

The bourgeoisie are preparing for the elections. The working class must also prepare. It is necessary at once to proceed to the requisitioning of the printing house and to the confiscation of all printing houses which are closed and sabotaged like that of Soikin.

The Aivaz Factory

During the Kornilov days the workers organized to protect the factory from counter-revolutionary arsonists. They set up a guard of - ... persons working secretly and a guard of ... persons operating openly working in three shifts. Now the factory management has declared that it will not recognize the status of the factory security personnel. From the outset the technical director of the factory, Kurpevich, even maintained that the workers had no right to set up a workers' guard; to take such authority upon themselves. But the factory committee refused to ignore either the combustible condition of the plant or the order of the committee on counter-revolution. Then the director declared that he would recognize the guard but would refuse to pay the workers for time spent in watching for fires. That is, they could guard our factory--but at the workers' expense.

The factory committee decided to stand its ground and to present its case to the committee for struggle against counter-revolution.

Conflict in the Petrov Factory

Rabochii Put', October 20/November 2, 1917

In the factory a conflict has risen over the payment of wages to the members of factory-shop committees and of the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. The behavior of the management offended the workers with the result that several members of the administration were carried out on stretchers. The management replied by closing the factory ... If the management refuses to open the factory, the factory committee will take the decision to sequester it.

Source: Stanley W. Page, ed., Russia in Revolution: Selected Readings in Russian Domstic History Since 1855 (Princeton: Van Nostrand, 1965), pp. 135-37.