Page:Samuel Gompers - Out of Their Own Mouths (1921).djvu/102

 76 For being late at work a fine of two weeks' wages is imposed."

When the Bolsheviks came into power they abolished overtime work in all branches of industry. But as the output was decreasing in an alarming way and as many skilled workmen went to the villages the Soviet Government, as far back as the beginning of 1920, reintroduced overtime work. At first it was optional, but in the summer of this year it was announced that overtime is compulsory.

At a secret meeting on the 5th of September, 1920, the representatives of the Petrograd Labour Organizations adopted the following resolution: "Never before has overtime work been practised so widely as now' the worst of it is that more than 80% of the overtime is compulsory and any refusal on the part of the workmen is severely punished."

Overtime work is remunerated as follows: for the first two hours—double pay; for the second two hours—time and a half.

The normal working day is 8 hours and 44 hours per week, but owing to compulsory overtime the Russian metal worker works now 12 hours a day, and 72 hours a week. Sometimes compulsory work is performed on Sundays, which makes 80 hours per week.

The workmen, far from being pleased with these methods, resist them, and as a result a wave of strikes passed all over Soviet Russia in 1920.

There is little known in Europe about these strikes or the measures taken to suppress them, as the Bolshevik Government which controls all papers and journals, does not allow this information to appear in the press. But in official documents we find the following information (Central Committee of Statistics of the Commissariat of Labour).

During the first six months of 1920:

1. Strikes have been called in 77% of the large and middle sized works.