’

‘Abita

With a membership of nearly 100 million, Soviet trade unions are
the largest public organization in the USSR.

A specific feature is that they directly and actively participate in
developing the whole of society, in advancing production, in improv-
ing its efficiency and in the management of the economy.

The Congress presented an impressive picture of the struggle
waged by the trade unions for a rise in socialist production and of
the participation of millions in the management of production.

gheaied Bs

By M. MAXIMOV

MOSCOW (APN) — With a
membership of nearly. 100 mil-
lion Soviet trade unions are the
largest public organization in
the USSR. The importance of
the present 15th Congress of the
All-Union Central Council of
Trade Unions (AUCCTU) is de-

_ termined by the fundamentally
new role. of trade unions oper- -

ating in a society of victorious
socialism.

In its struggle for the inter-
ests of the working people the
Soviet trade unions have gone
beyond the traditional “protect-
ing the working men”.

Soviet society consists of
working people, and hence the
trade unions are called upon to
protect them, as Lenin put it,
from “excessive administrative
zeal” and bureaucratic distor-
tions which still occur. How-
ever, Soviet trade unions don’t
stop at that. A specific feature
is that they directly and active-
ly participate in developing the
whole of society, in advancing

~, production, in improving its ef-

ficiency, in the management of
the economy.

It is precisely due to these
features that at the congress
questions concerning the pro-
tection of the interests of the
working people and the drive
for raising the standard of liv-
ing of the Soviet people stood
next to the activities of the
trade unions in the sphere of
solving state economic tasks.

During the four years which
have passed since the 14th con-
gress, much has been done to
‘improve the life of the working
people. With fhe active partici-
pation of trade unions, the
CPSU Central Committee and
the Soviet government planned
and carried out a number of
measures to raise wages of fac-
tory and office workers, abolish
or reduce taxes fo a number of
categories of the working peo-
ple, increase pensions, grants,
etc. Tens of millions of working
people have received new flats.

In his address to the 15th
Congress of the Soviet trade
unions on March 20, Leonid
Brezhney, general secretary of
the Communist Party of the
Soviet Union, made a series of
very important statements
which we present here in sum-
marized form.

New Stage in Europe

Europe is on the threshold of
a new stage with a growing
number of states recognizing
the ideas of peace, security and
cooperation.

Through the peace initiatives
of the socialist countries it was
becoming a practical possibility
to study the questions of Euro-
pean security and cooperation,
the solution of which was a task
of historic importance.

Rebutting those in the West
who belittled the leading role of
the working class, Mr. Brezhnev

Science, culture, public health
and education services have suc-
cessfully developed.

A year ago the 24th CPSU
Congress defined the economic
and social policy of the Soviet
state for the current five-year
period (1971-1975). The results
of the first year are quite suc-
cessful, as Leonid Brezhnev
pointed out in his speech. At
the same time, as he pointed
out, a number of economic prob-
lems as yet remain to be solved.

Calling the attention of the
delegates to these problems, L.
Brezhnev critically and frankly
told the nearly 100-million
strong army of the working
people belonging to the Soviet
trade unions that the solution
of these problems, the success
of the entire Five-Year Plan and
hence of the entire program for
raising the living standards of
the people depend on their pro-
duction and social activities.
Such is a law of socialism: the
well-being of the masters of so-
cialist production depends on
their work.

Among the questions worthy
of special attention Brezhnev
mentioned capital construction,
the quality of goods produced,
the introduction of new tech-
nology and machines and the

growth of labor productivity. It’

is precisely here that there is a
need for an increase in the rate
and efficiency of production, a
rise in the entire level of eco-
nomic activities, greater exact-
ingness and responsibility.

This provides the trade unions
with a wide sphere of activities.
They have great rights in the
USSR. In recent years laws
were adopted on the initiative
of the CPSU Central Committee
considerably expanding the le-
gal basis of the activities of
trade unions, especially those
which are directly connected
‘with concern for the interests
of the working people.

The AUCCTU congress pre-
sented an impressive picture of
the struggle waged by the trade
union masses for a rise in so-

said major class battles were
being waged there. He paid tri-
bute to the recent successful
strike of the British miners,
Italian workers and workers in
other capitalist countries.

He declared that it was now
necessary to settle the question
of the date of the European se-
curity conference and jointly to
determine the main directions
of its work.

Treaty with Bonn

There is no doubt that the
ratification of the Soviet-West
German Treaty would lead to a
qualitatively new stage in the
relations of the two countries
and would have great import-
ance for strengthening Euro-
pean peace.

But he warned the opponents
of the treaty in West Germany
that “the borders of socialist
countries are inviolable” and

cialist production, of thé
cipation of millions in thé
agement of production
Soviet trade unions have 4
number of tested means
fluencing such a decisive
of the life of society #
economy. These include P
nently operating pr
conferences, workers’ me
socialist labor emulali?
which more than 74 milli
tory and office workers F
pate.

Brezhnev
trade unions and all

called up
the

economic activities,
productively and conscl?
ly to achieve the success
Five-Year Plan. The oj4
unions will have to use m7
fectively such economic
as material and mora
tives, campaign for stro
‘bor discipline. a
Naturally, special 3
was devoted to the role
working class in dev
Soviet society. The prese?
Soviet working class 4 tot
only from the pre-revoluy jj
proletariat but also ff
working class of the
when the final victory_of
ism was won in the U»
numerical strength durit
years of Soviet powée!
creased 60-fold and, ine
ly, more than two-thl
them are industrial ™
The number of workers |
complete secondary ©)
during the more than thre
ades has_ increas “of
More than nine million te
are engaged in agricul '
The working class ©
menting force of the 8 ;
ance with the collecti¥
peasantry and the wOF
telligentsia, of the m
family of the peoples (f
USSR. For the membé f
working-class the ideals
munism have become
sence of their entire W?
look.

4
that the opponents did?
and would not have @
with whom to negotiat
vision of borders.
West Germany noW
responsible choice that
termine the destinies ®
ple, the attitude to it
states for many years
“This is a choice bet
operation and confront
tween detente and #4
tensions, in the fina
this is a.choice betwee?
of peace and a policy 193
He pointed out that ©
iet people still remembé hp
calamities of the past res
sufferings that the Hite,
gression caused our P@ ig]
“But we believe that
should not always rem
insurmountable barriet
development ‘of our
with West Germany

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