Page:Trade Unions in Soviet Russia - I.L.P. (1920).djvu/56

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Resolutions on Organisation.

A series of proposals on organisation were put forward, and adopted by the Congress in the following resolution:—

"The Trade Unions which form the foundation of the Workers' State and are the only means of organising industrial labour and the economic life of the country, have been much weakened. This weakening has been due to the lack of contact between the superior organs of the Trade Unions and their local organisations, to insufficient co-ordination between the different parts of the Trade Union organisation, and finally to the lack of authority which the Trade Unions exercise over the rank and file of their members.

Now that the establishment of the workers' dictatorship has created new and important economic problems, the work of the Trade Unions has become more responsible and important. In these circumstances the most urgent task—that is to say the strengthening of the whole Trade Union apparatus—can only be achieved by completely modifying the character, methods and extent of Trade Union activities. The main function is to put in force definite principles relating to the organisation of production; the Unions must regenerate the productive resources of the country within the various; local organisations and industrial regions; they must work out, and afterwards carry out, special tasks which will improve the material well being and the intellectual outlook of the members towards the Trade Unions.

The most important questions for the Trade Union movement must be carefully examined by the basic units of the Trade Unions at the workshops and the factories. The whole work of the Trade Unions should be so organised that the workshop units of the Trade Unions will be able to obtain answers on all the points that they may raise, and to follow closely the work that is being done by their controlling organs. In order to attain this aim it is necessary for the Trade Unions to work along their own special lines and to tackle their own problems.

The Trade Unions must exercise an effective and constant control over all their delegates and representatives in the various public and governmental institutions. The executives of the Trade Unions must be furnished with all that they need to carry out their work. Each central committee should have a complete list of all its active workers who are engaged on any public trade union work. They must have reliable reports as to the activities of all delegates and representatives in the various branches of production. The central organs of the Trade Union movement must regard it as their main duty to secure a regular and carefully thought out distribution of labour. The higher organs must constantly supervise the activity of the lower organs, and must resolutely oppose any sign of negligence or carelessness on the part of its members. No conferences or assemblies should be held during the, regular hours of work.

As for the development of the Trade Union mechanism, the Trade Union movement generally should be based first, on a continuous democratisation of the central organs, with regard to eligibility, responsibility, and the whole running of their