1987. Különkiadvány, 1987.10.01 / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
3.3 Trade Unions That Represent the Employees' Intereata Regrettably, the SZOT, the trade unions' Central governing body, has been and is playing a rollback role in the reform process. It is common knovledge that mainly the trade unions provided the ideological ammunition fór the 1972-1974 antireform shift in economic policy, through a campaign tbat invoked the interests of vorkers at large enterprises. Sándor Gáspár, the SZOT chairman, remains even today one of the principal mouthpieces of the propaganda directed against small businesses. This opposition to reform is related to a conservative approach to the representation of interests: Neither the enterprises, nor the vorkers striving to assert tbeir interests must be alloved to become independent. Let the enterprises remain under the tutelage of the State; and the vorker6, under that of the SZOT. Indeed, the tvo forms of tutelage should never become separate. Let the State protect the enterprises vhich are encountering difficulties, and at the same time provide morale-boosting vage increases and benefits. And let the trade unión represent the vorkers' interests, and at the same time alsó the requirement6 of production. And let harmony be vrought alvays vithin the pover structure: in negotiations betveen the government and the SZOT, betveen a ministry and the headquarters of the trade unión fór the given branch, and betveen the megye councils and the régiónál bodies of the branch trade unions. The con6ervatism of the trade-union bureaucracy, even though it consider6 itself an interest-representing organization, stem6 from it6 thirst fór a share of political pover, and simultaneously from its efforts to enhance the importance of its ovn headquarters. This the trade-union bureaucracy has indeed achieved during the pást 15 to 20 years, bút in the meantime the membership has become increasingly annoyed vith the trade unión. This groving conflict is perhaps the most dangerous element of the present political crisis. Representation of the employees* interests is the area vhere there is the most discontent. Bút this is alsó vhere resistance of the regime's institutions is the strongest. Somé deputies of the National Assembly are striving to attune to public opinion. The PPF and even the KISZ are attempting to meet expectations. Only the trade unión is unvilling to admit that it cannot function any longer the vay it has become accustomed to function. The trade unión expresses regret over the price increases, bút clings stubbornly to an economic system that is the immediate cause of the rapidly vorsening situation. It cites the vorkers' interests, bút defends vith a hypocritical shrug a shameless pension system that keeps belov the subsitence level the pensions of somé 60 percent of the retirees in industry. It vrings its hands over groving unemployment, bút instructs its locals "to strive to achieve that assistance fór vorkers seeking employment is claimed fór only a short time or nőt at all" (6 March 1987 resolution of the SZOT Presidium). Is it any vonder that enterprise cbief executives interpret this to mean that tbeir prestige vould Buffer if tbeir former employees qualified fór assistance, and that they are therefore laying off their vorkers in group6 varying betveen five and nine? (Only the employee ^ _________________________________________________ *
