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: Family life is thriving in the Soviet Union, say Charles

and Annie Stewart, well-known figures in the trade union
and women’s movements of B.C. They recently spent a
faw weeks in the Soviet Union and in this article tell of

their impressions.

Role of Cuba unions

UBA’S trade unions share
fully in industrial man-
agement and their transform-
ation “into powerful and dem-
ocratic organizations that
faithfully expressed the will
of the working people” was
one of the chief tasks of sais
revolution.

_ These facts are described in
4 recent issue of the weekly
magazine New Times, ~in an
articles by Odon Alvarez de la
Campa, interhational relations
secretary of the Cuban Con-
federation of Labor and Faus-
tino Calcines of National To-
bacco Workers Union. The ar-
ticle describes the organiza-
tional set-up of the unions.

e In every province( with
the exception of Havana), lo-
eal unions belong to a provin-
cial federation, irrespective of
industry. There are five of

these federations. The 33 na-/|-

tional unions make up the

Cuban Confederation of La- i *

bor.

e However,
old craft organizations

much of the
still

persists at a local level: The |.
tobacco workers, although or- |
ganized in a single industrial |

union nationally, usually have
‘as many as 14 craft unions in
the factories.

e@ In addition to the task of
building the unions into pow-

erful and democratic organiz- |

ations, another main job fol-
lowing the revolution was to

other imperialist agents.

é é

(Eusebido Mujal Barniol
was secretary-general of the
Cuban Confederation of La-
bor during Batista’s dictator-
ship and. fled from Cuba after
the revolution. He is now ad-
viser on Cuba to George
Meany, president of the AFL-
CIO. in the United States).

e Workers now share in in-
dustrial management through
the technical assistance coun-
cils; formed by the workers of

'each shop nominationg three

candidates, one of which is
selected by the management.
These shop delegates make up
the technical assistance coun-
cils, which now total 6,000
members.

MR

“We shall have to take him
to see a psychiatrist — he
rid the unions of Mujalist and i doesn’t seem to like normal

toys.” (Peace News, London)

Charles and Annie Stewart Visit Soviet Union

‘What we saw surpassed

UR visit to the Soviet
Union last December was

-|the most outstanding event of

our lives, never before did
forty-two. days fly past so
\quickly. Every day we were
confronted with new and ex-
citing experiences.

Since our. return’ we realize
more than ever the widespread
interest of Canadians in the
Soviet Union, a country that
has amazed the world in its
economic, educational,  cul-
tural, scientific and technolog-
ical advance in such a’ short
space of time. What we saw
and observed surpassed our
greatest expectations. ;

Two of the most numerous
questions we have been con-
fronted with since coming
home are: What impressed us
most in the Soviet Union? and
does the standard of living
compare with ours? I will try
to answer them in the space
at our disposal.

‘What impressed us mest in
the Soviet Union was the
people, firstly because they
are the key to everything and
never in our entire lives have
we met so many happy, hos-
pitable and kind hearted peo-
ple as we did during these
days.

We could not but recal! the
days prior to the October So-

cialist Revolution in 1917,
when no people of any country
were more oppressed and

down-trodden, and. how it was
the Russian workers and peas-
ants who were the first to take
state power into their own
hands and start off to build a
new Socialist society. Their
task was far from easy, seem-
ingly unsurmountable. Ob-
stacles had to be overcome.
One of the hardest of these
obstacles was the slander by
the captalists and their lackeys
everywhere because: for the
first time Socialism had be-
come a reality and the hand-
writing was on the wall for
the exploiters of their fellow
men.

It is our firm conviction

| that in no other country in the
world will a happier home re-; hospital and--dental eare for

lationship be found. Such,
things are not spoken of and)
it is not necessary to do so be-

_|}cause we saw with our own

eyes the love and care bestow-
ed upon the children which in-
cluded an. understanding of
parental discipline, and’ when
you see the respect and’ con-
fidence shown by the chi'’dren
to their parents and elders you
realize it is only in hemes
worthy of the name that> such
a companionship between chil-
dren and parents, youth -and
age could develop: . Bae

- %: 6 3%

our greatest expectations

Prior to leaving Canada we
had read that Socialism was!
not only building a new So-|

.ciety but it was also building

a new unselfish man. We can
truthfully say we saw and
talked to some of these dedi-
cated men and women who
have but one goal, a happy life
for all and free from the dan-
ger of war and their senti-
ments are expressed in - deeds
much more than words.’

Comparing the living stand-
ards in our respective coun-
tries, two people whose living
conditions were different could
bring home two different ver-
sions and both of them would
be quite truthful. For example,
if you were a company execu-
tive and compared your fiving
standard with that of the man-

prise you would naturally con-
clude that living conditions in
Canada were superior. Or if
you counted the number of
passenger cars on the streets of
Vancouver and compared them
with the number of similar
cars on the streets of Moscow
you might conclude that we
had the edge by a wide mar-
gin. Or you might compare
the number and variety of
home utensils we had and
come to the conclusion that
ours was the highest living
standard.

We, however, came to the
conclusion that such compari-
sons are not reliable and at
best are transitionary. There-
fore, we took a different yard-
stick and measured the many
concrete advantages the Soviet
workers have over Canadians.

Under Socialism every
young man and woman ean
choose .the job or profession
that they are most adapted to,
and. never have to fear the
scourge of unemployment and
want. Every child in the

plete education, free of charge,
right through university.

Rest homes and sanatoriums
abound in beautiful settings,
free- or at nominal rates to

Soviet workers, free medical,

everyone. The finest cultural
and’ sport facilities are avail-

- able, at. every plant. and. fac-

tory. Safety and working con-
ditions on the job are the best
you can find anywhere.

As the economy grows
stronger, Wages increase every
year with. the highest pe-cen-
tage increase going to the
lowest paid workers, ‘and at
the same time prices of.cssen-
tial Brosyor are reduced

2 * :

“The work day is s the shor test

in. the world, six and seven

“hours, with a rest period fore-|

March 31, 1961—PACIFIC oe

| days per year with pays"

ager of a large Soviet enter-

Soviet Union is assured a com-.

| want; when’ the’ threat

noon and afternoon, O%
night shift, and a lunch?
ranging from twenty tO
minutes. ’

Special laws have bé
acted to protect the hea
women workers and ti
not allowed to lift any
on the job that weighs
than eight kilograms (a)
lbs.) Every worker ~
from three to four we

if health requirements
cide, aa
A Soviet worker P2#
city or municipal tax}
such administration ¢
borne by Soviet @
While taxes to the state V
get only constitute 9
of the total, and before
even this minimum tax?
abolished. Rents which ®
of the large items of a Wj
budget in our county
constitute 5 percent of
ers wages in the Soviet
Heating is free and 89
light bills cost not mol®
70 kopecs per month, }
pec, new money is slig
excess of one cent).
citizen in the Soviet U
covered by the best old E
pension plan that has ¥%|
devised: Male workel J
claim their pension
and women at fifty, also q
ers. in- mines. or othel Pt
dous occupations get thes
sion at fifty. Pensions #”
two-thirds of a worker? |
ings, computed over
three years “of emp!
when _ his. earning? —
highest. a 4

Many additional adv
ous which a worker une
cialism enjoys could bem.
but we _ believe the abt &
enough to convince # ie
age Canadian worker |

have a long way to go" ‘ bi

we catch up. We do 20 1Bo

to be experts on Soviet %
we did live there nea
and a half months and §
that space of time no 0?
have seen more or 9
more than we did.

We are happy indeed | :
dream of a lifetime”
reality and that we we
to see Socialism i?
After viewing at first
creative power and @
a people working ‘ou
own destiny, we are ™
vinced than ever of t
and happy future
ahead for Canada W
land -will be free *
scourge of unemploy™

will be abolished for
the exploitation of w
man will be replace?

brotherhood of man