Third All Russian Conference of Trade Unions
Encyclopedia
The Third All Russian Conference of Trade Unions was the first national conference of trade unions held in Russia
following the February Revolution
. It was held in Petrograd 20–28 June 1917.
The conference was attended by 211 delegates representing 380,000 workers. These delegates were 73 Bolsheviks, 36 Mensheviks, 6 Menshevik Internationalists, 11 Bund
ists 31 non-fractional Social Democrats, 25 Social Revolutionaries and 7 delegates on no known party affiliation.
V. P. Grinevich, a Menshevik started the discussion on the role of the trade union
s, which he characterised as conducting the economic struggle of the working class, depicting the strike
as the principal weapon while under capitalism. He argued that they should not involve themselves in the organisation of production, a role he allocated to the state. The Internationalists criticised this view as supporting state control rather than workers' control
.
Nikolai Glebov-Avilov
presented the Bolshevik positions at this conference:
The All-Russian Metalworkers Union played a prominent role at the conference. It was at this conference they elected their Temporary Central Committee.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
following the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
. It was held in Petrograd 20–28 June 1917.
The conference was attended by 211 delegates representing 380,000 workers. These delegates were 73 Bolsheviks, 36 Mensheviks, 6 Menshevik Internationalists, 11 Bund
Bund
- Organizations :* German American Bund, a pro-Nazi pre-World War II organisation* General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia, a political party founded in the Russian Empire* General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland, a political party founded in Poland...
ists 31 non-fractional Social Democrats, 25 Social Revolutionaries and 7 delegates on no known party affiliation.
V. P. Grinevich, a Menshevik started the discussion on the role of the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, which he characterised as conducting the economic struggle of the working class, depicting the strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
as the principal weapon while under capitalism. He argued that they should not involve themselves in the organisation of production, a role he allocated to the state. The Internationalists criticised this view as supporting state control rather than workers' control
Workers' control
Workers' control is a term meaning participation in the management of factories and other commercial enterprises by the people who work there. It has been variously advocated by anarchists, socialists, Communists, Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, and has been combined with various...
.
Nikolai Glebov-Avilov
Nikolai Glebov-Avilov
Nikolai Glebov-Avilov was a prominent Bolshevik.Glebov-Avilov was the son of a cobbler who started work in a printshop in Kaluga. He became a Bolshevik in 1904, and during the 1905 Revolution, he was active in Moscow Kaluga and the Urals working in underground printshops, being hidden by the...
presented the Bolshevik positions at this conference:
- Economic Control Commissions should be attached to the central administration of the unions
- these Commissions should be made up of members of the Factory Committee
- these Commissions should co-operate with the Factory Committees in each individual enterprise.
- the Factory Committees should also be financially dependent upon the union.
The All-Russian Metalworkers Union played a prominent role at the conference. It was at this conference they elected their Temporary Central Committee.