V. I. Lenin

Draft Regulations On Workers’ Control

1.	Workers’ control over the production, storage,
purchase and sale of all products and raw materials shall be
introduced in all industrial, commercial, banking, agricultural and other enterprises employing not less than
five workers and office employees (together), or with an
annual turnover of not less than 10,000 rubles.

2.	Workers’ control shall be exercised by all the
workers and office employees of an enterprise, either directly, if
the enterprise is small enough to permit it, or through their
elected representatives, who shall be elected immediately at
general meetings, at which minutes of the elections shall be taken
and the names of those elected communicated to the government and
to the local Soviets of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’
Deputies.

3.	Unless permission is given by the elected
representatives of the workers and office employees, the
suspension of work of an enterprise or an industrial establishment of state importance (see Clause 7), or any change
in its operation is strictly prohibited.

4.	The elected representatives shall be given access to
all books and documents and to all warehouses and stocks of
materials, instruments and products, without exception.

5.	The decisions of the elected representatives of the
workers and office employees are binding upon the owners of
enterprises and may be annulled only by trade unions and their
congresses.

6.	In all enterprises of state importance all owners and
all representatives of the workers and office employees
elected for the purpose of exercising workers’ control shall
be answerable to the state for the maintenance of the strictest order and discipline and for the protection of
property. Persons guilty of dereliction of duty, concealment
of stocks, accounts, etc., shall be punished by the confiscation of the whole of their property and by
imprisonment for a term of up to five years.

7.	By enterprises of state importance are meant all
enterprises working for defence, or in any way connected with
the manufacture of articles necessary for the existence of the
masses of the population.

8.	More detailed rules on workers’ control shall be drawn
up by the local Soviets of Workers’ Deputies and by conferences of factory committees, and also by committees of
office employees at general meetings of their representatives.