Written: Unknown date, by P. Medvedeff
First Published: Moscow Pravda, March 28, 1920
Source: The Living Age, October-December, 1920.
Translated: Unknown
Transcription/Markup: Brian Reid
Public Domain: Soviet History Archive 2005. This work is completely free.
Our factory is located twenty versts from Moscow, at the station Podlipki. The number of men employed is twelve hundred, of whom only a few live in the vicinity. Most of them live in Moscow, and have to travel by railroad in order to reach the factory. The workers rise at six o'clock to catch the train, which leaves at seven thirty. When the movement of trains is very regular they return from work, about seven o'clock at night. But usually they do not get back until eight or nine, or even later. Thus their working day lasts thirteen or fourteen hours and the men have no opportunity to visit theatres, meetings, councils, or lectures. Their condition is simply dreadful, for nearly all of them are on the point of exhaustion through long working hours and railroad travel.
It has been proposed several time to provide them with a special train, or at least special cars, for that would save them the necessity of fighting for their seats in the cars, and protect them from the danger of typhoid, which is widespread among the workers of this factory.
Our workingmen have lived under these conditions since October, 1918, and it is clear that the effects are very injurious. But the men themselves are indifferent to everything, as was shown by the election for the factory committee and the Soviet. The Communist group consists of only thirty-five men.
The question of food is very acute. Efforts made to get for the workmen of this factory the same ration as in the Red army, to which they are undoubtedly entitled since they are working on ammunition, have not brought any results. Because of this their output not only does not increase, but is actually falling off.
The factory has been evacuated and reëvacuated several times. Much of the machinery and equipment is even now left in the open field and is covered with snow. Everything rusts away and only a small part has been set up and is working. Such pictures affect the psychology of the workmen, who grow indifferent to their work when they see such valuable materials going to ruin. Refusal to report for work and thefts grow very rapidly. The workmen run away from the factory, and the question has been raised as to whether it would not be best to shut down the factory altogether. The workmen ask that they be shifted to other factories where they will be more useful, but in vain.
We hear with pleasure how in other places workmen have voluntarily increased the number of hours in order to increase production. But with us, more than half of our long working day is spent in railroad riding.
There is of course a way out of this difficulty. It is necessary to move the workmen to the vicinity of the factory. . . Then we would be able to keep the skilled workmen from running away. The authorities should pay serious attention to the condition of our factory, and take the necessary measures to make it an efficient establishment.