Is it true that the USSR was the first in the world to enter an eight -hour working day?

On the Internet, one can often find the statement that the duration of the day of the working day was first legalized in Soviet Russia. We checked whether it was really so.

The fact that the Soviet state was the first in the world to provide citizens with an eight -hour working day, was reported back in the days of the USSR - so, the authors of books write about this "Labor under socialism" (1951), "Scientific and technical revolution and society" (1973) and "Is the free world free?" (1979). This information is also widespread in our days - it is mentioned in publications "RIA Novosti" RBCas well as in popular in social networks A selection of facts On the achievements of the country of Soviets. February 18, 2022 State Duma deputies from the Communist Party faction Book On the agenda of the meetings, the draft statement “On the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the formation of the USSR”. Among other achievements of the socialist state It was notedthat it was his citizens "for the first time in the world who received the right to an eight -hour working day".

Let's start with the history of the establishment of an eight -hour working day in Russia. Indeed, back in 1895 in one of the points of his project Programs of the Social Democratic Party Vladimir Ulyanov demanded legally to limit the work day for workers eight hours a day. This requirement migrated to Program of the RSDLPadopted at the second congress of the party in 1903. During all the remaining years of the existence of the Russian Empire, the socialists fought for the legislative consolidation of this restriction, but they have not achieved anything, despite the numerous strikes and strikes of workers throughout the country.

After the victory of the February Revolution, the situation began to change. On March 10, between the Council of Workers and Soldiers' Deputies and the Petrograd Society of manufacturers and breeders, it was concluded agreement “On the introduction of an eight-hour working day in factories and plants, factory committees and conciliatory cameras.” Thus, in the spring of 1917, one category of employees in one specific city received the right to an eight -hour working day. And only after the October Revolution did the case become universal. November 11 (October 29 according to the old style) of 1917 separate decree CC An eight-hour working day was installed in the RSFSR (instead of a nine to ten hours, as it was previously) and a 48-hour working week with one weekend was introduced. The abbreviated working time was provided for at particularly harmful industries. December 10, 1918 entered into force Code of Labor Laws The RSFSR who consolidated these provisions. Note that the USSR was formed only in 1922, but this detail here is not so significant. Subsequently, the number of days and hours in working week periodically changed in Soviet legislation, but not a single law no longer allowed working above eight hours a day.

But what about the rest of the world? The idea of ​​an eight -hour working day back in 1817, a century before the October Revolution, was proclaimed by the British entrepreneur and socialist Robert Owen. And then Applied Its under the motto “Eight hours of labor, eight hours to rest and entertainment, eight hours of sleep” in his paper-spaced factory in the Scottish New Lanarka. The remaining part of the 19th century at different points in the globe was under the sign of the struggle for the rigid framework of the length of the working day. If we talk specifically about eight hours, then here are the main milestones.

• In 1856 in Australia (at that time, a colony, and not a separate state) eight -hour working day Introduced For mason. This was the result of their strikes. In 1916, the restriction became universal for residents of the two largest state populations - New South Wales And Victoria. At that time, Australia already had the status of Dominion.
• IN New Zealand In 1873-1881, an eight -hour working day was introduced for women, in 1901 the restriction became universal, however, with an indicator of 8 ¾ and 8 ¼ hours for men and women, respectively.
• In the UK in 1908 eight hours steel The maximum duration of the working day for miners.
• In 1915, in Uruguay, he was accepted law About an eight -hour working day for a whole mass of professions - from workers to conductors. In the future, he was even extended to cinema workers.

However, the truly first legislative act that established the limit at eight hours of the working day for all citizens of the sovereign country was the next Mexico Constitution, ratified on January 31 and published on February 5, 1917. In addition, it sets the limit of the duration of night labor at seven hours.

And although in fact, not all the provisions of the Mexican Constitution were fulfilled by employers carefully (a number of sources claim that representatives of many professions had to continue the struggle for strict observance of the constitutional norm), nevertheless, this legislative act was ahead of the Soviet analogue for about nine months. In this connection, the most common statement is mostly incorrect.

The image on the cover: redavantgarde.com, vas-s-al.livejournal.com.

Most of the untruth

What do our verdicts mean?