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Soviet Union [USSR] Blue-Collar Workers and Manual Laborers
The category of blue-collar workers included those who
performed manual labor in industrial enterprises as well as those
on collective farms and state farms engaged in transport,
construction, and other nonfarming activities. In the late 1980s,
blue-collar workers and their families made up about two-thirds of
the country's population.
The CPSU has always loudly proclaimed blue-collar workers to be
the backbone of the state and the most honored segment of society.
Although newspaper accounts and photographs glorified their labor
accomplishments, blue-collar workers were masters in name only.
Only 7 percent belonged to the CPSU, the ruling group, and their
pay and benefits were close to the national average and
considerably less than those of the elite.
Data as of May 1989
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