Conversation Between Born in the USSR and The Author

  1. The Author
    Thank you. This is very informative and sheds light on how affairs were conducted in the workplace.
  2. It's difficult to answer all questions at once.For a start a few words about trade uninon.A chairman of a plant trade union was a member of so called "triangle":a general manager of a plant - a secretary of a party commetee of a plant - a chairman of a plant trade union.All the important documents must be signed by these three - this example shows the place of trade unions.According to Soviet low administration could not dismiss an employee without the consent of the union,and the union never gave such consents, because he was obliged to educate workers.The union also paid for sick lists (100% of a wage) and places in sanatoriums and rest homes (50-100%).It also provided a pecuniary aid in case of death of relatives.
  3. The Author
    Also, since you have firsthand experience in the workplace in the USSR, I would really love to know more about how management was involved in the production process, how much power the trade unions held, what workers did for their leisure time, and how they addressed labor issues. This forum is notorious for a lot of misinformation and fallacies about these matters, since many of the members have a very idealized notion of what the struggle to communism really entails.
  4. The Author
    It's about time someone from the fSU came forward and started providing real information on statistics and incomes and labor conditions in the USSR. I cannot stand the secondhand material from the West because I know it's biased, even among the "sympathizers" of the Soviet life. In the West, we have this nasty habit of choosing to remain ignorant about life and conditions in the East because we were badly misinformed and taught to hate and never think. Even the communists here have this habit stuck in their heads. I'm an American who got tired of the lies, tired of the propaganda and started asking questions. And the more questions I asked, the more I realized life in the East really was better.
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