I N T E R N A T I O N A L TIES

A NEW STAGE OF COLLABORATION

V. Kleeberg

For more than i0 years, the trade unions of metal workers in the Soviet Union and the Federal Republic of Germany have collaborated in the interest of the workers. The latest step in this collaboration was the visit of a trade-union delegation of Soviet Metalworkers to the Federal Republic. The delegation was headed by I. I. Kostyukov, chairman of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Metallurgical Industry Workers. In accordance with the program, the delegation visited the pipe plant of the Mannsman Company in Muhleim, the Krupp plant in Rheinhausen, and the B M W M o t o r Works and motor-turbine plant in Munich. During the visits, delegates had numerous meetings with workers, members of production councils, and officials of the trade union, all of whom expressed great interest in the different aspects of life in the Soviet Union and asked numerous questions relating to the organization of labor and safety at plants in the metals industry, the social security and pension systems, the growth of the metals industry, environmental protection, etc. People everywhere expressed a desire for the fruitful development of relations with the Soviet Union in many areas, along with a lessening of international tensions, particularly in Europe. This was especially true at plants that fill large Soviet orders such as the pipe plant in Muhlheim, 30% of the output of which goes to the USSR. Taking into account deliveries of large-diameter tubing, this percentage increases to 75%. During their stay in the Federal Republic of Germany, delegation members cited specific examples in discussing the current stage of communist construction in the USSR, the implementation of the historic decisions of the Twenty-Fifth Party Congress, the achievements of the Soviet people in economics, science, and culture, and the broad socioeconomic rights guaranteed them by the new Soviet Constitution. The delegates underlined tne value of the sequential implementation of the programs developed by the Twenty-Fifth Party Congress for the furtherment of peace, national independence and international cooperation, and the role of general secretary of the party and president of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR L.I. Brezhnev in realizing this ]program, particularly in concluding the OSV-2 agreement. Workers and trade-union officials at the plants expressed active support for the agreement in their discussions with the delegates, underlining that most of the country's population sees it as an important step in disarmament and ensuring world peace. During meetings with the delegation, first chairman of the trade union of metal workers in the Federal Republic O. Loderer praised the current level of ties with Soviet trade unions, joining workers in the metals industry, and he underlined interests of his organization in further expanding this collaboration. Showing the delegates a commemorative ingot kept in his office and made jointly by Soviet and German steelmakers during a friendship heat in 1973, Loderer emphasized that this event continues to define the spirit and atmosphere of relations between the metalworkers' trade unions of the two countries. On behalf of the directorate of the trade union in his country, Loderer announced that further normalization of bilateral relations would be an important and useful step for both sides in conformity with the goals and understandings of the conference on safety and cooperation in Europe. He noted that it is necessary to organize the exchange of delegations and various forms of information on specific themes of mutual interest. In particular, he proposed that, apart from traditional meetings of representatives of the metalworkers' trade unions of the two Trade Union of Metallurgical 41-42, December, 1979.

872

Industry Norkers.

0026-0894/79/1112- 0872507.50

Translated from Metallurg,

9 1980 Plenum Publishing Corporation

No. 12, pp.

countries in accordance with existing 2-yearprograms for the exchange of delegations, cosultations should regularly be conducted on the most important problems of common interest. The meetings and discussions held during their visit allowed the delegates to make several generalizations on the basic directions of the current work of the metalworkers' trade union in the Federal Republic. Events of recent years show that the workers are decidedly against the efforts of large capital to have the workers bear the difficulties associated with recessions. They are resolved to protect their interests from the encroachments of capital. The year 1978 was a record year in the Federal Republic for the number of work days lost due to strikes. A total of 3.2 million man-hours were lost. The members of the metalworkers' trade union struck twice during the year. Private companies responded to this tactic through a lockout affecting all workers. One of the most important consequences of the current recession in the Federal Republic is mass unemployment. In the last years, the number of unemployed decreased to below 1 million only in 1978, here being 989,000. The number of workers out of work for a year or more is continually increasing. While 71,000 were in this situation in l~y of 1975, in May of 1978, 230,000 men were partially unemployed (more than 22% of the total number of unemployed). Unemployment among youth has become a particularly acute problem. In 1978 about 300,000 young people under age 25 were without work. Thus, the trade unions of the Federal Republic, particularly the metalworkers' trade union, are asking that measures be taken against unemployment through a reduction in the work week without a reduction in pay, an increase in vacations, a lowering of the pension age, and the introduction of mandatory middle education. In the opinion of the trade union, to maintain the present level of employment in the metallurgical industry it will be necessary to reduce the work week by 16 h by 1985. According to union calculations, an increase of one day in the amount of paid vacation would reduce the number of unemployed in the country by iO0,000 men, the introduction of a lO-year school education would cut unemployment by another 160,000, and a lowering of the pension age by one year would add i00,000 to the work rolls. Substantial changes have recently occurred in the nature of the demands made by the metalworkers' trade union. Whereas earlier demands focused on increasing wages, now the emphasis is on ensuring full employment, guaranteeing the right to work, shortening the work week, improving working conditions, and cleaning up the environment. In this connection, during their January strike, the trade union opened a campaign to introduce a 35-hour work week. However, this goal has yet to be reached. The conflict was resolved by having the companies agree to reduce total work time by granting several free shifts during the year and increasing vacation time -- first for workers with 30 years or more of experience and, in 1982, for all workers. At the conclusion of the delegation's visit, a joint declaration was issued in which it was emphasized that both sides are ready to take common measures to further collaboration. The present level of collaboration between the metalworkers' trade unions of the two countries makes it feasible to now change over to a long-term program of mutual relations providing for joint efforts to solve problems important to metal industry workers.

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