The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic’s Resolution on the Benefits of Night Shift Work: Its Context, Contradictions, and Realities

This article explores the specifics of night work under Communist rule and within the state-socialist economy that the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) established after they seized power in 1948. Although the Czechoslovak communists sought to minimise night work, they achieved the opposite effect. One reason for this was the absence of economic reforms. At the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, they were compelled to introduce uniform bonuses for night shifts, leading to their standardisation. However, those targeted by the incentives showed little interest in night shifts; consequently, night shift workers were often drawn from marginalised groups, such as prisoners and women facing financial difficulties. The article delves into their potential motivations for accepting night shifts. Furthermore, despite the Czechoslovak communists’ efforts to differentiate their night shift policy from that of the ‘capitalist’ approach (as embodied by interwar Czechoslovakia), numerous continuities were evident. This article investigates these aspects and seeks to uncover their potential causes.