Article 32 of the Common Program

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 30-12-1950 Mao Zedong Remarks on the Trade Union Work Report from the Northwest Bureau The main aspects of article 32 are in state-owned enterprises, worker participation in administration through factory committees shall be established. Private enterprises shall adopt collective contracts between trade unions and employers, ensuring benefits for both labor and capital. During this period, a standard eight to ten-hour workday shall generally be enforced in public and private sectors, subject to discretion in special circumstances. Minimum wages shall be set by local governments based on prevailing conditions. Labor insurance will be gradually introduced, prioritizing the protection of juvenile and female workers. Industries and mines will undergo inspections to enhance safety and sanitation. 27-08-1952 GAC Unified Registration Measures for the Unemployed

 05-07-1949 Directive on Resolving Labor Disputes in Private Enterprises

"Trade unions which were set up in both factories and offices had women’s sections (funübu) to press the special interests of women. Enterprises with more than fifty female employees were required to have a women’s committee of the trade union, and those with fewer elected a women’s representative to thé general trade union committee. Women’s representative congresses were to be elected periodically to discuss specific issues in enterprises with a considerable num ber of women employees. Branches of the Women’s Federation were also formed within enterprises to link working women with other women all over China.49 " Davin (1976) Pages 174-175 [Cite]

In Baotou, high-ranking soldiers anticipated being "rewarded" with young women from Chengdu or the Northeast in exchange for their service on the Inner Mongolia frontier. Men were initially sent to build the Baotou Iron and Steel company and open the Bayan Obo mine, but the leadership recognized that having many men in one place could lead to chaos. To prevent this, women from Sichuan and the Northeast were recruited to live and work in Baotou, with textile factories (danwei) established for them to start families.
soon after the founding of the PRC, the CCP started organizing and mobilizing women. For example, the Baotou Municipal Women’s Committee held its first meeting in December 1949. They coordinated with the outgoing GMD government to develop a work plan and build up Baotou. The committee's main tasks included engaging with women at all levels, understanding their conditions, and promoting the party's policies. They established local women's committee offices in every village and town to integrate women into the national military-industrial project. The committee played a crucial role in integrating women and shaping their identities, celebrating heroines from both Han and Mongolian backgrounds. They organized study groups to highlight examples of virtuous, revolutionary women and branded those who opposed the women’s movement as counterrevolutionaries for failing to follow Mao Zedong’s thought and respect the party’s leadership.

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 09-09-1950 Mao Zedong Regarding the Remarks on the Issue of Relief for Unemployed Workers  17-01-1951 GAC issued a circular on the precautions to be taken when sending unemployed workers back to their hometowns for production " The need to restore production, and perhaps the economic innocence of the Party in 1949-51, produced m uch propaganda urging women out to work. The first note of caution was sounded in 1952 when, partly because of the crisis in business confidence which followed the anti-corruption movement, unemployment soared. The State Council issued a document which divided the unemployed into various categories, of which housewives who wished to work were acknowledged to be one.35 The Women’s Federation was urged to seek out such women, make inquiries as to their degree of need, qualification, and experience, and, in suitable cases, help them to find jobs. However, it was m ade quite clear that for the m oment there was no hope of jobs for all who wanted them , and the docum ent pointed out that housework was not to be despised since it had now a far greater significance than in the old society. Six days later, the Women’s Federation issued a directive, couched in very much the same terms, directing all its branches to implement the decision of the State Council.37 Both documents pointed out that the W om en’s Federation could do educational work amongst women which would be useful in case of their eventual em ployment." 37: Directive of the All-China Democratic Women’s Federation to all levels of the organization to co-operate in the implementation of the decisions on employment of the State Council ofthe Central People’s Government’ RMRB (10 Aug. 1952). Davin (1976) Pages 168-169 [Cite]

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The insurance company is directly led and managed by the head office of the People's Bank of China, and the capital is proposed to be 20 billion yuan. Regional companies will be established in the locations of the People's Bank of China. The Northeast Insurance Company owned by the Northeast Bank is placed under the leadership of the People's Insurance Company of China. The main tasks are: (1) to ensure production safety, to support the development of trade, and to promote the exchange of materials between urban and rural areas; to improve the welfare of the working people; to defend national property. (2) The state-run insurance company must lead the private insurance company to jointly realize the above tasks, and replace the government to implement the administrative management of the business operation of the private insurance company, reform the pure profit concept and various unreasonable business methods of the private company, and overcome the past dependence on foreign companies. (3) Regarding the issue of accumulating funds, the first is to complete political tasks. (4) At present, attention is mainly paid to the construction, development and expansion of the state-run insurance business, gradually establishing companies at all levels, developing business, accumulating experience, and cultivating talents.

In June 1950, the People's Insurance Company of China established 5 district companies, 31 branch companies, 8 branch companies, 25 offices, 4 business departments and dispatched offices, with a total of 73 units. There are also 564 agency offices, of which the People's Bank of China has 385 agency offices. The company has a total of 2,263 employees, among which two-thirds of the old insurance practitioners are accepted and retained. Like the private banking industry is speeding up to be brought under unified management, the private insurance companies are brought under unified management. Public-private joint venture insurance companies (for example: Xinfeng Insurance Company, North China Minlian Reinsurance Exchange Office) were established By the end of 1952, foreign insurance companies operating in China successively applied for closure and withdrew from the Chinese insurance market. See also Article 39

Furthermore, laws regarding postnatal care for women workers and employees were established, granting them a 56-day maternity leave with full pay. Additionally, expectant mothers, as well as mothers and their children, were entitled to free medical care . The implementation of a comprehensive social security system progressed gradually, with planned social services becoming fully operational after the reconstruction phase. Initially, its scope was limited, primarily covering government employees, students, teachers, and staff in educational institutions by 1952. However, the rural population was not included in social insurance protection.

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The CCP had good relations in Shanghai however, this could not prevent economic and social chaos. See Part 3 In December 1949, there are over 3300 strikes in the city. In the aftermath of the Communist occupation of Shanghai in May 1949, a significant number of labour disputes erupted throughout the city. The workers, who were now being proclaimed as the leading class in the country by the Communists, were eager to put this newfound status to the test by seeking immediate improvements in their economic conditions. However, many of these demands and actions were excessive and irresponsible. The authorities, still in the process of establishing firm control over labour organizations, seemingly hesitated to openly oppose these demands for fear of antagonizing the workers. Nevertheless, they were also aware that the strained economy, especially during the period of economic depression in Shanghai, could not sustain the ongoing pressure caused by these demands. Additionally, this situation posed a challenge to their policy of fostering cooperation with private capital. Mikoyan has warned the CCP leaders not to prohibit strikes: "…otherwise the CCP may lose the trust of workers. The significance of the working class in the revolution is determined not by its quantity, I said, but by the fact that it is a new class, the carrier of the most progressive ideas. The future belongs to the working class. Its significance in the society will grow unstoppably. The question that one should not prohibit strikes caused a noticeable bewilderment on the part of Mao Zedong and the present members of the CCP CC Politburo. On the whole telegrams with recommendations on the work among workers, youth, women and on the preparation of the Chinese cadres, the content of which was conveyed by me to Mao Zedong and the Politburo members, made a good impression. When they were related, Mao Zedong and the members of the Politburo uniformly nodded in agreement, and Mao Zedong said that the suggestions will be carried out."

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 16-05-1951 Liu Shaoqi Letter to Gao Gang on the Issue of Establishing Party Committees in State

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Chapter 4 of Common Program

• Road to Common Program
• Common Program
• Bibliography
• Documents