Yeltsin Bars Communist Party From Workplace : Russia: The federation’s new president moves to end decades of preferential treatment for members.

Exercising his new power as the Russian Federation’s first president, Boris N. Yeltsin on Saturday gave the Communist Party two weeks to dissolve its committees in government offices, institutes, enterprises and other concerns, the Russian Information Agency reported.

In a presidential decree, Yeltsin declared that political parties and movements will be prohibited from having organizational structures at workplaces in Russia, the largest Soviet republic.

The decree makes clear that the Russian government will no longer tolerate preferential treatment for Communist Party members.

“Participation or non-participation in one or another party cannot serve as a basis for limiting the rights (of a person) to hold any post,” the Russian Information Agency said, quoting the order.

The decree, which takes effect in 14 days, is expected to be a painful blow for the Communist Party, which has for decades kept party committees in every factory, mine and office across the Soviet Union.

Party officials who worked in these committees had great control over the enterprises. Party membership influenced promotions, salaries, vacations and other privileges. Only party members could be managers. All members were subject to strict party discipline.

Although the influence of the Communist Party steadily declined over the last five years, the party committees still played a significant role in many organizations and enterprises.

Until little more than a year ago, the Communist Party had a constitutionally guaranteed monopoly on power and used this to exercise its authority in many aspects of Soviet life--including employment.

Since then, dozens of opposition parties have been formed across the country, but none of them can as yet challenge the Communist Party for size and power.

Yeltsin, who was a top Communist Party official himself until he quit a year ago, has campaigned against the privileges that Communist Party members have received throughout decades of Soviet rule.

On June 12, he won a landslide victory over four Communist Party members for the post of president. Saturday’s decree was one of the first he has issued using the enhanced powers of his new position.

The decree is likely to be a controversial subject at a key plenary meeting of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, starting Thursday. During the meeting, the party is expected to consider a split between conservatives and liberals in its ranks.

The Communist Party has already been significantly weakened by infighting, by thousands of members quitting and by the liberal policies of its leader, President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party.

But the party still has vast holdings and maintains control over the military, Interior Ministry and KGB security police.

In his decree, Yeltsin recommends that the Russian Supreme Soviet, or legislature, consider putting before the national Parliament a bill to forbid Communists and members of other parties to have organizations within the Supreme Court, the KGB, the Interior Ministry and the armed services.