Right and Left in Palestine Labor Movement State Their Positions By Our Jerusalem Correspondent
The conflict between Right and Left in the Jewish labor movement in Palestine has been outlined in the programmes prepared by the various labor parties which will participate in the forthcoming conference of the Histadruth Ha’Avoda, the labor federation of Palestine. There are twelve separate parties which have stated their intention to be represented at the conference.
The Achduth Avodah, the Jewish Labor Party, stands for the middle road and will urge the conference to put an end to the efforts of the Left to introduce the principles of extreme radicalism and class war into the Histadruth. However, the Achduth Avodah likewise objects to the attempts of the Right to deprive the labor federation of its class characteristics entirely, and will present to the conference the following practical proposals: 1. The establishment, within the Chevrath Ovdim, of a supreme economic control committee, which shall endeavor to improve the working methods in the labor settlements, carry out systematic revisions and raise the economic strength of the settlements. 2. The drawing up of a collective agreement, between the Workers’ Organization and the employers, the basic conditions being the acceptance by the latter of men sent by the former, the fixing of an adequate minimum salary, the eight-hour working day, insurance against accidents, and contribution by the employers to the sickness benefit funds, dismissal of workers to take place only after consultation with the workers’ committee, the recognition of the right to strike.
Furthermore, the Achduth Avodah will make proposals for raising the standard of living of Arab workers and the establishment by Jews and Arabs of a joint international workers’ union with two autonomous national sections. The demand will also be made for the conference to call upon the Zionist Organization for its recognition as the sole representative body of Jewish labor in Palestine.
The Left Opposition urges intensification of class warfare and concludes its programme, as reproduced in “Davar”, with the following: “The worker realizes that stubborn class war is the only way to improve his economic position and to secure a livelihood and his settlement in the land.” The Left Opposition intends to advocate the separation of cooperative activities from the Trade Unions and the preservation of the proletarian characteristics of the cooperative organization. The group lays great weight on a strengthening of the Radical spirit within the Histadruth and an intensification of class war as opposed to the method of Social opportunism practiced by the Trade Unions.
The Revisionist Labor group, which advocates the political principles of the Zionist Revisionists, will demand that the conference call upon the Government to begin irrigation, afforestation, railway and harbor building work, that laborers employed upon these works be placed under the protection of the Government, and subsequently settled in a systematic manner by the Government. The Histadruth and its economic institutions shall be recognized as an official Trade Union and organizations of public utility, and enjoy all privileges accorded to such bodies. The programme demands that the Zionist Organization conclude individual agreements with every certificate holder, the mutual obligations to be assumed under the agreement to include the right to be settled on the land, as well as the strict maintenance of the minimum European standard of life during the transition period. Revisionist Labor expects the Histadruth to become a non-political, purely professional trade union; it advocates the abolition of party protectionism and the restriction of bureaucracy, which has become over-developed.
“THE GOLEM” PRESENTED BY HABIMA PLAYERS
The Habima players presented “The Golem”, H. Leivick’s dramatic poem, at the Irving Place Theatre on Friday evening.
A. Meskin played the title role.
The appearance of posters on the Amherst College campus bearing the words, “We want freedom of the Sabbath–Compulsion and religion are incompatible,” brought renewed agitation among the students to abolish compulsory church attendance.
At a mass meeting of the students it was announced by Walter Gellhom, ’27, a meeting of the executive council of the College Board of Trustees would be held on Sunday to call a special meeting of the whole board to consider the demands of the students.
The students voted confidence in a committee of their number appointed by the faculty to discuss the undergraduate viewpoint.
The contractual agreement between the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and the Association of Dress Manufacturers’ was ratified on Friday by Louis Schwartz and Isidore Agree for the manufacturers and by Morris Sigman and Julius Hochman for the workers. The agreement affects 70,000 cloak and dress makers.
Manufactures and jobbers groups here which are now in contractual relations with the International Union are: the Industrial Council of Cloak and Suit Manufacturers; the Merchant Ladies’ Garment Association, the American Association of Cloak and Suit Manufacturers, the Wholesale Dress Manufactures’ Association, and the Association of Dress Manufacturers, Inc.
The deposed Joint Board of the Cloak and Dress Makers’ Union announced that elections held in Locals 2. 9 and 35 had resulted in overwhelming victories for their candidates: Joseph Boruchowitz, Abraham Zerlin and Joseph Goretzku, all former members of the International who were expelled after the strike. Mr. Sigman commenting on the elections stated they were unauthorized.
Miss Mary Sachs, a member of Temple Ohev Sholem. Harrisburg, Pa., presented $10,000 to the Boy Scout Camp in Harrisburg in honor of the Rabbi of the Temple, Dr. Philip David Bookstaber.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
