Collective agreements as a factor of labor regulation in industry during the NEP period (based on the materials of the Vladimir Province)

The subject of the study is the implementation of the policy of collective agreements between trade union organizations and the administration of industrial enterprises in the public and private sectors during the 1920s. The new economic policy – NEP has led to new approaches in the work of not only the economy (agriculture, industry, etc.), but also the areas of work of trade unions. An acute problem arose for discussion – the participation of workers in the management of production. The purpose of the research is to study the regional features, to identify positive and negative indicators in the activities of trade union organizations in protecting workers' rights in industrial enterprises. The problem of strengthening the party's control over the trade union movement is considered using the example of provincial professional bodies. The geographical scope of the study is limited to the territory of Vladimir Province, which was part of the Central Industrial Region in the 1920s. The methodological basis of the research is the principles of historicism, scientific approach and objectivity. A systematic approach allowed us to consider the management staff of trade unions and their tasks on the ground. This made it possible to identify the advantages and disadvantages of collective bargaining in the region. The method of source analysis made it possible to assess the information value and practical significance of archival and statistical documents. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, based on local history material, statistical data and documents from the archives of the Central (State Archive of the Russian Federation) and regional levels (State Archive of the Vladimir region), a description of the situation on the ground, at enterprises is given; the dynamics of the formation of staff and members of the trade union movement is outlined; the directions of trade union work on the implementation of collective contracts. As a result of the conducted research, a set of problems has been identified that the trade union movement system has faced at the regional level: the training of qualified personnel in its own staff, the participation of workers in the formation of collective agreement provisions, wage equalization in various sectors and industries, and the organization of strikes. The research materials can be used in the process of teaching historical subjects, developing textbooks, and conducting general research on the history of the trade union movement in the Vladimir Province within the framework of the Central Industrial Region, dedicated to the NEP period.