How have socialist societies fostered mass discussion in the past? How much input have regular workers had on policy decisions? Have their voices been stifled or encouraged? From a book entitled The Russians are Coming: [The USSR] resolves its economic and social problems, ranging from the anti-social behavior of an individual in a block of flats to the macro-social issues, such as the character of the education system, through discussion. There are facilities for meetings everywhere, in Palaces of Culture, trade union offices, at work where every factory or shop has a Red Corner where workers meet before or after work to debate issues and air their grievances. No major changes in legislation are made without wide-ranging debates. As was stated earlier, the alterations to the Soviet Constitution were preceded by wide-ranging discussion throughout the country. The new 1936 constitution stipulated that the USSR Supreme Soviet should establish a Labour Code to introduce uniformity between the various Republics. This was not done until 1970 when the draft of the Fundamental Labour Legislation was published in the press for a nationwide discussion. Workers in factories and offices, teachers and scientists, trade unionists and management, engaged in discussion and submitted amendments to the Draft Bill Commission. The 1936 process of nationwide consulation was repeated when the Constitution was revised for the second time in 1977...prominent scientists, specialists, and representatives of state bodies and public organizations took part in drafting the Constitution. The draft was considered twice at Plenary Meetings of the Central Committee of the CPSU. The draft constitution was put up for nationwide discussion which lasted nearly four months at about a million and a half meetings at factories, collective farms, in units of the armed forces and in residential neighborhoods...there were more than 450,000 open Party meetings at which over 3,000,000 people took the floor. The draft was examined at sessions of all the Soviets, from rural Soviets to the Supreme Soviets of constituent republics, that is, by more than 2,000,000 deputies representing the entire Soviet people...about 400,000 proposals clarifying and amplifying the wording of articles of the Constitution were put forward. More than 99 percent of the labor force belongs to trade unions...the topics discussed at the meetings cover all facets of union activity and range from work situation problems to kindergarten facilities, education, housing, tourism, industrial health provisions, social security, and foreign policy. Workers, however, have other opportunities to discuss their work situations and to criticize management. They meet in Work Collectives to discuss the problems at their immediate respective points of production and in Standing Production Conferences for matters at the enterprise level. Through these various means workers raise issues of bureaucracy, managerial inefficiency, corruption, and defective planning.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 03:50:02 +0000
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