Soviet Archives - Collection of Government Documents on Workers

From the Collection of enactment and decrees of the government for 1921, Administration of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR

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The main provision on the tariff issue. ( Izv. No. 207, S. U. 67‐513 ).

Article No. 513.

Decree of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars.

The main provision on the tariff issue.

The new economic policy presupposes a whole system of measures aimed at restoring the national economy. Each branch of industry, each individual enterprise must maintain strict accurate records of production, materials, raw materials, the cost of manufactured products, etc. Enterprises should be organized according to the principle of non‐deficit (with the exception of those that are necessary in the system of the state economy, regardless of the degree of their economic usefulness, as some means of defense).

First of all, the tariff system should be changed, as the main factor in the development of industry. The tariff system should be based on real prerequisites, simplification of this system to the maximum limits, the allocation of a fund of food and consumer products for workers and employees employed in state industry. Separation from the enterprise of everything that is not related to production and that has the character of social security. Establishing a firm connection between worker and employee with the enterprise and institution. State aid in the form of kindergartens, homes, nurseries, etc. should not be linked to wages in any way. Carrying out the outlined basics and wage system will lead to the fact that selfmobilization of qualified labor will take place around the enterprise,

The tariff system based on real foundations is the main factor in the organization of the working class, the main element of production.

1.                   The establishment of the tariff rate should be based on the provision of minimum wages ‐ minimum labor. The increase in wages should be directly and directly related to the increase in productivity with the degree of participation of the worker in the increase in production.

2.                   The wages should include all types of payments to workers and employees, such as:

a) monetary payment, b) apartment, heating, lighting, plumbing, c) food and consumption items, d) overalls, unscheduled distributions, etc., e) hairdressing salons, baths, theater (products from vegetable gardens and Soviet Farms and all made by enterprise and establishment costs and other services provided by communal departments), f) means of transportation: railroad roads, trams, trucks, etc., g) family rations or other additional wages issued to the family of a worker and employee.

All types of government services received (in kind) are evaluated at market prices so that the worker and employee have the opportunity to clearly and distinctly combine expenditure with real income and realize the need to apply intensive labor that provides real subsistence means.

Wages should be associated only with the participation of an employee in production, and its increase only with an increase in production results.

3.                   The issuance and provision of everything that is included in wages to the worker and employee must be carried out exclusively through the enterprise and the institution, ʺexclusively through the factory managementʺ, so that the connection between the worker and employee with the enterprise and the institution is complete.

4.                   The system of calculating wages should be so simple and clear that the relationship between productivity and wages could be understood by every worker and employee. The system should be flexible and free, so that the management of the enterprise and institution has the opportunity to immediately distinguish between the manifestation of initiative and initiative and by appropriate encouragement to induce the worker and employee to further work in this direction.

5.                   When setting the rate for piecework, the experience of all major industries must be taken into account; all artificial, complex and incomprehensible systems for the worker must be abandoned.

The degree of equipment, the deterioration of machines, the quality of raw materials, etc., must be taken into account so that reasons independent of the worker himself cannot influence the state of his wages.

6.                   When setting wage rates for workers of different qualifications, office workers, middle technical and senior administrative personnel, any idea of equalization should be discarded.

The number of senior administrative personnel and the number of skilled workers employed in each enterprise and institution should not exceed the established% in relation to the entire mass of workers and employees in this enterprise.

7.                   Rational conduct of industry on the basis of a new economic policy is possible only if the state allocates a solid fund of foodstuffs, consumer goods and banknotes for workers and employees employed in enterprises and institutions, and it is necessary to categorically refuse to issue food to enterprises for the number of workers employed in them: the issue should be made not according to the number of workers, but exclusively per unit of the manufactured product produced by the enterprise.

8.                   This fund should serve as a guarantee of remuneration for labor on the above grounds in large‐scale industry and in enterprises and institutions most necessary for the state; the latter are included in guaranteed wages by a special resolution of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars.

Note . If the state, for some reason, is not able to timely provide the due part of the fund to the enterprise, the latter, by decision of the Supreme Council of National Economy and the All‐Russian Central Council of Trade Unions, has the right to deduct products of its own production in order to create a fund for paying workersʹ wages. Enterprises of local importance that are not included in the national supply and do not use raw materials and fuel from the national resources, etc., can be transferred to deductions of their own products by decision of the Regional and Provincial Economic Conferences.

9.                   For the purpose of a real guarantee of wages, it is necessary from this fund as the ruble exchange rate and food prices fluctuate, the amount of money wages must change accordingly so that workers and employees of large industry and enterprises and institutions necessary for the state have a solid basic minimum that does not depend on fluctuations the ruble exchange rate and fluctuations in food prices. The changing amount of monetary supplements to what is provided to the worker and employee of these enterprises and institutions in kind should create confidence that with temporary food and other hiccups, the due wages for the work performed by the worker and employee will be fully guaranteed.

10.                However, in order to avoid the disruption of these provisions, a method of gradual transfer of enterprises and industries to these new conditions of guaranteed payment should be adopted as the corresponding enterprises move to the beginning of economic settlements (profitability) and the state resources improve. The terms and conditions for the transition are established by agreement of the Supreme Council of the National Economy, the All‐Russian Central Council of Trade Unions, the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Food and the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Finance.

11.                For enterprises transferred to guaranteed payment from the general state funds, the monthly contributions of products of their own production to the natural fund in the form now established should be canceled; it is possible to allow a bonus remuneration at the end of the year or no more than 2 times a year, by May 1 and November 7, after drawing up the balance sheet of the enterprise, if during these periods the work proceeded intensively and the enterprise gave the state a certain income.

Note . Bonuses for particularly outstanding achievements in the field of labor are made during the year from a special fund allocated to the plant management.

12.                Workers who have become unemployed due to the transition to a new economic policy or are attached to temporarily stopped enterprises are transferred to state support according to special norms, the size of which must be strictly determined by the availability of state resources in accordance with a special regulation developed by the All‐Russian Central Council of Trade Unions, Peopleʹs The Commissariat of Labor and the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Social Security by agreement of the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Food and the Peopleʹs Commissariat of Finance.

The main provisions adopted by the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars on September 16 were preliminary discussed by the All‐Russian Central Council of Trade Unions and the Central Committee of the

Russian Communist Party and received full approval.

Signed by:

Chairman of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin) .

N. Gorbunov, Administrator of the Council of Peopleʹs Commissars .

Secretary L. Fotieva .

September 10, 1921.

Published in No. 207 Izvestia of the All‐Russian Central Executive

Committee of Soviets dated September 17, 1921.