Labor Book

in Soviet law, the principal document reflecting a person’s work experience. Labor books are maintained for all employees of state, cooperative, and public enterprises and institutions who are on the job for more than five days. Seasonal, temporary, and free-lance workers are included here if they are subject to state social insurance. In the case of persons holding more than one job at the same time, the labor book is maintained only at the principal place of employment.

Labor books list a person’s surname, given name, patronymic, date of birth, education, occupation, and field of specialization. With regard to employment, an entry is made in the book each time a person is hired or transferred and each time a person is dismissed or voluntarily leaves a job. All medals, orders, and titles are recorded, as are awards for outstanding job performance provided for in rules on labor discipline. The book will also contain information on any scientific discoveries that an employee has made for which a certificate of authorship was received, on any inventions and rationalization proposals of the employee that have been implemented, and on any financial awards received for inventions or proposals. Penalties are not recorded.

The reasons for termination of employment must be entered in the labor book in the exact form prescribed by law, and the applicable articles and sections of law must be cited.

Guidelines for maintaining labor books are Set forth in an order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions dated Sept. 6, 1973 (Collected Decrees of the Government of the USSR, 1973, no. 21, art. 115) and in a directive of the State Committee on Labor and Wages of the USSR issued with the agreement of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions on June 20, 1974 (Bulletin of the State Committee on Labor and Wages, 1974, no. 9).