MILITANTS LOOK FORWARD TO MARCH 28 CONGRESS
By Henri Dumoulin
ALGIERS, “Fob, 25 == The self-managed : socialist sector oonstitutes the backbone | of the Algerian Revolution,
Alongside the self-managed agricultural enterprises which constitute the main sector [see World Outlook February 21], an industrial sector is developing, About twelve per cent of the industrial workers are employed in it -- some 10,000 in approximately 450 enterprises, They are now getting ready for their first congress, scheduled for March 28, This is to be preceded by general assemblies in each enter= prise, and, on March 15 by four precongresses in the big Algerian cen= ters: Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Annaba,.
Spearhead of the Revolution, the self-managed sector is also a school for cadres and revolutionary militants, To all revolutionists it is of special interest because of the democratic aspect it gives the Algerian Revolution,
“With this in mind, I interviewed several militants to get their impressions as preparations proceed for the Congress, The remarks I jotted down only deal, naturally, with partial aspects of the problems and contradictions facing the Congress.
cya
AY
ate
*
nn
Q. -= How is your efiberprise. organized?
Ae =< ‘Our peoplets enterprise consists of several construction material yards and shops == a rock quarry, facing and paving stones, lumber, etc, Altogether there are about sixty of us working at it. The European owners left a little while after independence was won. The enterprises were reopened thanks to the initiative of the city administration,
At the end of '63, a management committee of six members and a chairman was elected by an assembly of all the workers, The UGTA union federation} was present and took part in the assombly, Be- Sides the committee, there is a director who was designated by the = city administration and is responsible to it.
Qe- Have you begun to prepare for the Congress?
A. -- Yes. One of those in charge came ‘here. He told us about the agricultural Self-Management Congress which took place in October '63, This strengthened that sector and led to improvements in func= tioning for self-management from the point of view of democratic organization, efficiency in production, the real power granted to the management committees, etc. What was possible for. the agricultural sector must likewise be possible in the industrial sector, I hope that the Congress will be able to strengthen the socialist industrial sector,
In our enterprise, for example, we are having some difficulties, Mainly, for the past couple of weeks, we haven't had enough orders, But there are shops and yards that are under the administration, par-« ticularly on the communal level, Public organisms must not hand out orders to private business; because what is the administration? It's the state, the government, so we should be able to tighten things up in the socialist sector, That's not always the case today; but in the course of things the congress should be able to improve this side of the situation,
a oe
I interviewed a member of a management committee in a shop of some twenty workers making food products, I asked him about their problems, ;
Ae ~~ One of our present problems is to find new markets through export channels for the summer. Our orders tend to diminish in the
Q. =~ Do you see any relation between this problem and the next congress?
A. me Certainly, Wetre going to talk about it at the Congress, It will be taken account of. . Others will speak about it. This will all help.
Q. -- But _ this won't be enough to open up economic markets?
A. -- Maybe it will help to loosen certain brakes, to bring some force to bear, the necessary pressure to open certain doors, get a hearing from certain elements in the government, the administration -.« « (He said the latter with a certain amount of irritation, )
G
()
0
ate
a
ae
~
Since this interview, the Preparatory Commission of the Congress held a press conference at which it was emphasizéd that specific com-= mercial problems will be taken up at a national conference on trade during April, This will not prevent the problems raised by these two workers from being. posed earlier at the March 15.and March 28 gatherings, .
These contradictions between the socialist sector and certain structures of the administration, were already stressed at the Congress held by the agricultural sector: "The French administrative tradition, and particularly the French methods of government in Algeria have left their mark in mental attitudes and habits,"
In fact it is not only at the communal administrative level that brakes still exist, a bureaucratic style of work, ill-will, even willful sabotage with regard to the socialist sector, It was not without reason that the special February 20 issue of the UGTA newspaper
-Révolution et Travail [Revolution and.Labor] underlined the danger arising from the bureaucratic spirit and the infiltration of counter-~ revolutionary elements in the administrations,
The Self-Management Congress can contribute in fighting the after-effects of colonialism. As against the old structures, it represents an affirmation of the new structures, the management committees, which, despite their imperfections, constitute the first genuinely democratic, organized representative bodies of the producers,
The Self-management Congress .can be a big step toward the formation of a united front in the socialist sector. Both as an economic motor for the development of socialism and as a political base for the defense of the socialist acquisitions, this front can be a double rampart for the Revolution,
CP