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In the spring of 1920, in 34 governments of great Russia the estates managed by the Governmental Agricultural Departments included 2,625 Soviet estates managed by the government agricultural Department with the total area 1,399,385, with 624,899 of ploughed land.
In the interest of industrial organisation and increase of efficiency the union established a definite standard of labour which the workers are expected to maintain.
The union recognises piecework and the premium bonus system as a stimulus for raising production, but this so far has not been introduced, nor has the naturalisation of wages (payment in kind) which in the future will be the corner stone of the union wage policy. The wages of Agricultural workers and employees are defined in special scales worked out by the Central Committee of the union. This scale is to be supplemented when details are worked out.
Little has been done for the protection of labour. This is explained by the fact that the union has only existed a short time; it was therefore impossible not only to introduce radical measures for the protection of labour, but even to study this question in order to find a rational solution of the various problems. Moreover, the union was prevented from carrying out this work by the extraordinary conditions which prevailed, when the whole attention of the Republic was concentrated on the struggle with the White Guards who were supported by the Allies.
The greatest achievement of the unions was the organisation of the Institute of agricultural labour, which is functioning now in most of the Governments. The immediate tasks which the union is endeavouring to achieve in the sphere of protection of labour are: the regulation of food supplies, improvement of housing conditions, seeing to the observation of the Labour Laws in Agriculture, the introduction of a normal working day, the abolition of child labour up to the age of 14, the reduction of the working day for* young persons under 18.
The carrying on of educational work was even more difficult than work in connection with the protection of labour. The lack of trained workers was severely felt, so also was the scarcity of necessary appliances and literature which would answer the demand of the moment.
Recently, however, work in this direction is being conducted more smoothly. In all the governments of Russia a three months' course has been started as well as a one year technical course for training expert agriculturalists; and these should be able to control and direct the Councils of Public Economy and carry out various measures in agriculture.
The union hopes by the end of 1920 to have started a sufficient number of such courses to enable at least the majority if not all workers on the Soviet estates to take them up.
