Russian school teachers prepare “preventive strike”
The “Teacher” trade union has called on Russian school teachers to hold a “preventive strike” on the first day of classes after the winter holidays.
This is not about refusing to go to work, but about conducting a themed lesson dedicated to labor rights.
The action is proposed for 12 January, during the “Talks About the Important” lesson or another class, to publicly draw the authorities’ attention to teachers’ pay levels.
The union emphasizes that officials have talked about raising salaries for years, but in their view, real changes have not been felt.
In a statement, the organization advises teachers to explain to students the basic labor guarantees and the role of trade unions in protecting workers. This format is intended to make the protest easier to participate in and less risky than a traditional strike.
The initiative quickly received attention on social media: a post on VKontakte garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. Some commenters called for moving beyond a “lesson protest” to a full strike.
Following these calls, the union clarified that it “does not call for a traditional strike.” “Teacher” explained that in Russia, the strike procedure is strictly regulated by Articles 409–417 of the Labor Code and is effectively tied to a specific institution.
If a strike is not officially announced in a school by a decision of the labor collective, employees could be accused of absenteeism, which carries a risk of dismissal. That is why the organization promotes a format that allows teachers to express their position without leaving the framework of the classroom.
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