Kalistan

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Kaliburg Socialist Club calls for more worker control
State Industries and Growers' syndicates are main targets
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
June 17, 5677


Kaliburg Socialist Club meets to discuss more socialism in Empire

Staying firmly outside of Party politics, the Kaliburg Socialist Club passed several resolutions calling on the National Assembly to consider regulatory measures to increase the power of organized labor in both National Industries and National Growers Syndicates. There is significant labor representation in National Industries, but the farms of Kalistan tend to be dominated by the land owners.

"We would like to see the Assembly change some of the regulations that will allow workers to have greater say in management decisions of the National Industries and the agricultural operations across the country," said Club president Michael Simmons. "The focus has to be on further empowering tenant farmers , who represent 31% of all agriculture workers, and making sure that workers in the Nationalized Industries keep their seats at the table." The Socialists in Kaliburg are part of a larger national "discussion" about socialism under Empire.

"We want to make it clear that first and foremost, we are not attempting to reform the Socialist Party: that would be illegal," said Simmons. "Our platform says that socialism is compatible with the Anantonese Imperial system in all areas but political liberty, but we are far more pragmatic about things, and this Government represents commitment to social services and workers' power everyday, so it is something we can live with. What the Socialist Club wants to point out is that we can be better, but improving the things we can improve while putting off impossible tasks like expansion of democracy to the population for the indefinite future."

The Socialist Club adopted multiple resolutions, that the Club refers to advisory legislation, that they intend to submit to Assembly members in the form of lobbying efforts. "This is a year long effort on the part of small s socialists to call our legislators, to raise attention to these issues around worker's power in both the National Industries and among agricultural workers," said Simmons. "Whether they take these issues up is dependent on how many people across the empire we can get to call them, to tell them that this is important, and to get them to act."

The National Industries advisories call for protection of workers majorities on planning boards within the National Industries. "Those majorities have been eroded over the years, and we would like them to return to the 50%+1 worker representation on the planning boards," said Simmons. "This includes effective worker control over hiring and firing, production and distribution, and the establishment of community demand boards to coordinate with national industries to identify needs and demand within communities. We absolutely think these points are important for workers' democracy which is essential to socialism, and will go a long way to substituting for political democracy. Workers democracy is not only permitted in the Empire, but is historically enshrined. We'd like those traditions enshrined in regulatory law."

As for the Ag workers provisions, the socialists have called for recognitions of organic unions of tenant farmers. "Right now, the Growers' syndicates more or less control every aspect of agriculture," said Simmons. "Granted, most Growers are themselves farmers, but on a lot of the large state ag industries, tenant farmers form the majority of the work force, while the Government hires these farmers as salaried workers. These workers are not organized. We would like their organizations not only recognized, but provided the same sort of protections and powers that our unions in other sectors posses. There is a slate of requests the Socialist Clubs are asking to be considered. They all involve increasing the power of the tenant workers."

Time will tell whether the requests of the Socialist Clubs will make it into law, but the Socialists are cautiously optimistic. "Workers have a partner in the Imperial Seat. The workers protect their rights, but the Anantos have long stood with us, rather than with capital as they do in liberal states. So we are optimistic."

@TheRepublic