Sometimes situations occur in enterprises where, for whatever reason, employee dissatisfaction increases. In the civilized world, such situations are resolved not through aggression, but through strikes. This way of solving problems is peaceful, organized and as effective as possible.
The essence of the concept of "strike"
At different times in production, construction, workshop or in the field, workers' rights could be violated, worsening their living conditions. Naturally, this led to discontent on the part of the working population and, as a result, turned into strikes.
So what is a strike? This is a voluntary refusal to work for any period of time as part of the labor collective, a separate workshop or employees of the entire organization in order to meet certain requirements.
If the state or the employer violates the rights and conditions of the employees' contract of employment, then they have the right to cease their activities and make demands. The strike ends as soon as the demands of the workers are satisfied or the parties find a compromise.
Strike History
The first strike of workers, according to historical data, took place in ancient Egypt. The fact is that during the construction of the tomb of the then-ruling pharaoh, very difficult working conditions were created. Workers (and there were more than 50) were separated from their families for the duration of the work. In addition, they were not comfortable with the length of the working day and other conditions.
All representatives of the profession of honor at that time found a way out of this awkward situation in refusing to work until the ruler took appropriate measures. Since the pharaoh had no choice, he had to give an order to correct all the shortcomings and move the workers' families to the settlement. So the first recorded labor strike took place.
Modern strikes
Of course, over time, the forms, types and methods of conducting such actions changed. They became more peaceful and organized.
In Russia, the word "strike" was used to denote this phenomenon, but subsequently the "strike" of Spanish origin was finally settled. However, this does not change the essence of the phenomenon. What are strikes and strikes in the modern world?
First of all, refusal of work today is a way of resolving a conflict based on labor activity. Whether or not to take part in a strike is a personal matter for each individual employee. No one has the right to coerce participation or inaction. If pressure is exerted on an employee, this is an unlawful act.
In addition, the strike itself must take place with the permission of the government. And the employer must be warned in advance.
The procedure for the strike in accordance with Russian law
What is a strike? The definition, rules and procedure for its implementation are regulated by law. This is quite appropriate so that a peaceful action does not turn into anarchy and aggression. According to Russian law, any employee of the enterprise has the right to strike.
In order for the strike to take place and not be recognized as unlawful, workers must choose a representative, state their demands in writing and notify management 10 days before the scheduled date of the protest.
Most often, the conflict is settled before the start of the strike, even at the stage of warning the leadership. This happens at a meeting of the conciliation commission, where a compromise is found and the dispute is resolved on the spot without stopping production.
In addition, employees are required to establish a minimum of work that they will perform without fail. During the strike, the parties must, in the course of the negotiations, come to reconciliation by satisfying the conditions and requirements put forward by the workers or by finding a compromise.
The results of the reconciliation or termination of the strike must be recorded.
Illegal strikes
In some cases, a strike may be deemed unlawful, and then criminal proceedings will be instituted against employees participating in it.
Firstly, there is a list of industries and positions that are required to perform a certain minimum of work even during a strike. If this condition is not met, then the strike is recognized as unlawful.
Secondly, be sure to notify the employer. He also notifies local authorities of the upcoming action. If this does not happen, then the suspension of work is also considered illegal.
In addition, there is a list of areas in which strikes are prohibited at all. For example, workers serving military or strategic facilities, personnel on which the life and safety of people depend, do not have the right to go on strike.
Another situation in which a strike cannot be carried out legally - the number of employees involved in the protest is a minority.
Strike Forms
Two main forms can be distinguished: economic and political.
In the first case, the requirements of employees relate exclusively to the labor process. These may be requirements for changing the schedule, working conditions, increasing wages and so on.
All issues that will be discussed during this labor conflict relate only to duties, production, the workplace, labor relations at a particular enterprise.
The purpose of a political strike is to introduce legislative changes across a region, industry or country. In this case, the state may become a party to the conflict.
You can also divide strikes by scale. In this case, the strike may be:
- divisions within the enterprise;
- whole organization;
- organization of one industry on a local or state scale;
- representatives of individual professions, united by a union.
Other species
Another form of strike, which I single out less often, can be considered a protest from solidarity. It arises if employees of one enterprise or industry consider an unfair attitude, decision of the government or working conditions that exist or have appeared in another area. For example, dairy workers suspended work due to the introduction of additional taxes in the field of vegetable growing.
What is a strike in this case? This is an action of support and an attempt to draw the attention of the government to the problem en masse and by joint efforts.
And in the event that the strike takes place peacefully and by all the rules, it is called "Italian." After all, it is this country that is considered the progenitor of this type of expression of its disagreement.
But there is an unauthorized strike. This type is unlawful and punishable. Such a strike is recognized if its organization and conduct are contrary to existing legislation.
Causes
There can be many reasons for such protests. Often this dissatisfaction with working conditions. The production process can be worsened by equipment malfunction, insufficient number of tools or their quality, very low or high temperature in the room, safety violations, and so on. If all such shortcomings of the enterprise administration were reported, but no measures were taken, then sooner or later this will turn into mass discontent.
Also, the cause of the strike may be a low level of remuneration, the absence of bonuses, holidays, other violations of the employment contract or legislation.
At the state level, workers may not agree with the adoption of any bill or government decision. For instance:
- the introduction of truck fares;
- launch of toll tracks;
- introduction of new tax fees.
Any restrictions or discrimination can also serve as an impetus for the suspension of work in certain enterprises or in the entire field.
Conclusion
So what is a strike? We can unequivocally answer that this is a protest through the suspension of work. In each country, this issue is regulated by law.
During the strike, each party to the conflict must adhere to certain rules and be responsible for their actions. So, workers have no right to spoil the property of the company, to force someone to take part in strikes.
And the employer cannot dismiss or impose penalties on protesters. He also has no right to force employees to not participate in the strike.
In order to avoid such protests, it is necessary to strictly observe the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and all clauses of the employment contract. In any case, even if the administration of the enterprise did not follow the growing discontent of subordinates, according to the rules, a warning letter about the impending strike will be sent to the leadership. Therefore, reconciliation procedures can be carried out even before the suspension of work.
Modern strikes are peaceful and organized events, but despite this, the very fact of a conflict is already facing serious problems for production. That is why the strike is an extreme measure, but very effective.