A strike in which everyone works according to instructions. "Italian strike" - the meaning and origin of phraseology? Technology to end the “Italian strike”

23.10.2021

Picture: Dmitry Petrov / "Solidarity"

A form of collective protest actions in which employees of an enterprise work strictly in accordance with the laws and regulations of their enterprise, absolutely not deviating from the norms and not doing anything beyond their prescribed obligations. Since the implementation of all bureaucratic procedures in any country and at any enterprise is practically impossible, the Italian strike leads to a significant slowdown in work and a decrease in labor productivity (in some cases it comes to a complete stoppage of production). At the same time, the participants in the Italian strike act in full accordance with the law, which means that it is not possible to bring them to justice under any article of the law.

First of all, the primary trade union organization needs to involve as many workers as possible in this action, because the action will be effective only if it is massive. Make a decision at a meeting of the labor collective or trade union committee on the start of work according to the rules and notify the employer of this decision.

In connection with the campaign, it is necessary to explain to the employees participating in it the following rules (observance of them excludes the possibility of bringing the employee to disciplinary liability and increases the effectiveness of this event):

1. Accurately observe the rules of internal labor regulations (hereinafter referred to as the PVTR, paragraph 2, part 2, article 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

2. Require a real safety briefing where it is provided (for example, during hot work), and not just put a signature in the familiarization log. In accordance with Part 2 of Art. 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the employee is obliged to comply with the requirements for labor protection and labor safety, but at the same time, under Part 1 of Art. 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, an employee has the right to complete reliable information about working conditions and labor protection requirements at the workplace.

3. Strictly comply with the established labor (production) standards (part 1 of article 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation), in no case exceeding them.

4. In the absence of equipment, tools, technical documentation and other means necessary for the employee to perform his labor duties, immediately inform the employer (immediate supervisor, other representative of the employer) about this. If due to the lack of this equipment, tools, technical documentation, etc. it is impossible for the employee to fulfill his labor duties, it is also necessary to notify the employer of the start of downtime due to the fault of the employer (part 4 of article 157 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

5. If the employee is not provided with personal and collective protective equipment in accordance with the established norms, it is necessary to notify the employer of the start of downtime due to his fault. According to part 5 of Art. 220 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation in this case, the employer is not entitled to demand from the employee the performance of labor duties and apply any disciplinary action to the employee in connection with the refusal to perform labor duties.

6. If the PWTR states that the employee is obliged to clean up at the workplace at the end of work (or keep workplace clean) - to tidy up the workplace not after the end of the working day, but 5 minutes before the end of the working day, since this is charged to the employee as a duty that he must fulfill within the prescribed time.

7. Do only that work and observe only those labor obligations which are provided for by his labor (official) duties, with which the employee is familiar.

8. Refuse to work on weekends and holidays(Article 113 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) and from overtime work (Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). In this case, it must be remembered that to involve the employee in work on weekends and holidays overtime work without his consent is possible only in cases specified by law, namely:

1) to prevent a catastrophe, industrial accident or eliminate the consequences of a catastrophe, industrial accident or natural disaster;

2) to prevent accidents, destruction or damage to the property of the employer, state or municipal property;

3) to perform work, the need for which is due to the introduction of a state of emergency or martial law, as well as urgent work in emergency circumstances, that is, in the event of a disaster or threat of disaster (fires, floods, famine, earthquakes, epidemics or epizootics) and in other cases, endangering the life or normal living conditions of the entire population or part of it.

Variation on a theme - Japanese strike

According to the free encyclopedia Wikipedia, a similar form of protest is common in Japan, similar to the Italian strike - the so-called "Japanese strike". A month before the start, employees warn the employer. During the strike, everyone works according to the rules, while details (inscriptions, symbols) are used in clothes that speak of the demands put forward or simply about the very fact of a disagreement with the employer.

Interestingly, despite the fact that any workflow is regulated by a whole bunch of documents and instructions. Their strict observance by all employees, oddly enough, leads to huge economic losses for the company as a whole. And "work according to the rules", that is, the purposeful observance of the code and instructions by employees of enterprises is commonly called Italian strike.

An ordinary strike is a termination of work by employees of the enterprise in order to fulfill their requirements by the employer. That is, in fact, it is an ordinary blackmail. The difference between the Italian strike is that it implies the strict implementation by the employees of the organization of all job descriptions and rules, without violating them in absolutely anything. This, coupled with the bureaucratic nature of job descriptions and the inability to take into account all the nuances in them production activities, leads to a significant decline in productivity and leads to losses for the enterprise.

The term “Italian strike” began to be used after 1904, when in Italy (according to various sources) police, railway workers or airline employees began to work strictly according to the instructions in order to achieve an increase in wages, thereby provoking failures in a well-established system.

Subsequently, this civilized way of dealing with superiors began to spread in other countries, including Russia. So, back in July 1907, the Russkoye Slovo newspaper reported: “On the Petersburg-Warsaw railway an "Italian" strike is carried out, consisting in the strict observance of instructions during the production of maneuvers, due to which trains are late and many are canceled.

More than a century has passed since then, and this form of protest is still used by employees of enterprises to fight the company's management. Wherein Italian strike- very effective method impact on the employer. It is difficult to fight against it with the help of anti-strike laws, and it is almost impossible to bring the initiators to justice, since formally they act in strict accordance with the Labor Code.

How to conduct an Italian strike?

1. Accurately observe the rules of internal labor regulations.

2. Require a real safety briefing where it is provided, and not just put a signature in the familiarization log.

3. Strictly comply with the established labor standards, in no case exceeding them.

4. In the absence of equipment, tools, technical documentation and other means necessary for the performance of work duties by the employee, immediately inform the employer about this. If due to the lack of this equipment, tools, technical documentation, etc. it is impossible for the employee to fulfill his labor duties, it is also necessary to notify the employer of the start of downtime due to the fault of the employer.

6. If the instructions indicate that the employee is obliged to clean up the workplace at the end of work (or keep the workplace clean) - clean up the workplace not after the end of the working day, but 5 minutes before the end of the working day, since this is the responsibility of the employee which he is obliged to fulfill within the prescribed time.
7. Perform only that work and observe only those labor duties that are provided for by his labor (official) duties, with which the employee is familiar.

8. Refuse to work on weekends and holidays and overtime work (Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). In this case, it must be remembered that it is possible to involve an employee in work on holidays and overtime without his consent only in cases specified by law.

Compliance with these rules will not give the employer the opportunity to discipline you, since everything is carried out according to the law.

An ordinary strike is a termination of work by employees of the enterprise in order to fulfill their requirements by the employer. That is, in fact, it is an ordinary blackmail. The difference between the Italian strike is that it implies the strict implementation by the employees of the organization of all job descriptions and rules, without violating them in absolutely anything. This, coupled with the bureaucratic nature of job descriptions and the inability to take into account all the nuances of production activities, leads to a significant decline in productivity and leads to losses for the enterprise.

Subsequently, this civilized way of dealing with superiors began to spread in other countries, including Russia. So, back in July 1907, the Russkoye Slovo newspaper reported: “An “Italian” strike is being carried out on the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway, which consists in strict adherence to instructions during the production of maneuvers, due to which trains are late and many are canceled.”

More than a century has passed since then, and this form of protest is still used by employees of enterprises to fight the company's management. Wherein Italian strike- a very effective method of influencing the employer. It is difficult to fight against it with the help of anti-strike laws, and it is almost impossible to bring the initiators to justice, since formally they act in strict accordance with the Labor Code.

How to conduct an Italian strike?

1. Accurately observe the rules of internal labor regulations.

2. Require a real safety briefing where it is provided, and not just put a signature in the familiarization log.

3. Strictly comply with the established labor standards, in no case exceeding them.

7. Perform only that work and observe only those labor duties that are provided for by his labor (official) duties, with which the employee is familiar.

Compliance with these rules will not give the employer the opportunity to discipline you, since everything is carried out according to the law.

One of effective ways, often used in recent times Russian trade unions in the fight for higher wages is work by the rules or the “Italian strike”. What is the meaning of this action and how does it differ from an ordinary strike?

Italian strike- a form of protest along with a strike and sabotage (but not to be confused), which consists in the extremely strict performance by the employees of the enterprise of their duties and rules, not stepping back from them and not going beyond them. The Italian strike is sometimes referred to as work-to-rule.

This method of strike struggle is very effective. Not better way to force an unscrupulous employer to meet the needs of employees than to hit him in the pocket, while not giving him the opportunity to stop paying wages and punish employees for failing to perform their duties. Since it is practically impossible to work strictly according to the instructions and, coupled with the bureaucratic nature of job descriptions and the inability to take into account all the nuances of production activities, this form of protest leads to a significant decline in productivity and, accordingly, to large losses for the enterprise. At the same time, it is difficult to fight the Italian strike with the help of anti-strike laws, and it is almost impossible to bring the initiators to justice, because. formally, they operate in strict accordance with the Labor Code.
Strikers during a strike may not necessarily comply with all, but only some of the rules. Some experts call such a strike a civilized method of expressing their dissatisfaction.

For the first time, such a struggle for one's rights began to be applied in Italy (hence the name) at the beginning of the 20th century. According to some reports, these were Italian pilots who, fighting for their rights, agreed to do everything strictly according to the instructions. As a result, the number of flights has been significantly reduced. According to other sources, for the first time the Italian strike was used by the Italian police. One of the sites reports that for the first time such a strike actually took place in Italy in 1904 with railway workers.

In Russia, the term "Italian strike" has been known since at least the beginning of the 20th century. For example, the newspaper "Russian Word" in the issue of July 22 (09), 1907 reports:
“An “Italian” strike is being carried out on the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway, which consists in strict adherence to instructions during the production of maneuvers, due to which trains are late and many are canceled.”

In Russia, the Italian strike at the Ford assembly plant near St. Petersburg is known.

An Italian strike is sometimes also (inaccurately) referred to as a refusal to leave a job despite an employer's order.

In domestic literature, the Italian strike is described in D.D. Nagishkin’s novel “The Heart of Bonivur”: during the Japanese intervention in the Far East, the workers decide to pull the “Italian bagpipes”:
“... The controller bounced off the riveter.
— Are you Italian?
“Italian is better than Japanese!”

The controller darted around in his area. He saw that the lesson had hardly progressed since the morning, despite the outward impression of hard work. The senior controller ran to the office ... ".

The content of the term "strike" in its traditional sense is disclosed in labor legislation. In accordance with Art. 398 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, a strike should be understood as a temporary voluntary refusal of employees to perform their labor duties (in whole or in part) in order to resolve a collective labor dispute. The procedure for announcing and holding a strike is also clearly regulated by labor legislation.

In contrast, the concept of "Italian strike" to the Russian labor law unknown, and its conduct is not regulated by any legal norms. And in practice, the "Italian strike" means work in conditions of strict observance of all production standards, labor protection rules, industrial and fire safety, work and rest time, refusal to work overtime and work on weekends, etc.

Since there is no such thing as “Italian strike” in the legislation, the procedure for conducting it, the mandatory prior notification of the employer about its conduct, duration, other conditions, as well as any responsibility for holding this action, is not established. Therefore, the Italian strike, as a tool for protecting the interests of workers, has a clear advantage over a regular strike, because. the latter is possible only after a series of mandatory procedures (holding a conference of employees, the existence of a legally initiated collective labor dispute, the passage of conciliation procedures, etc.), the preparation and conduct of which requires, at best, at least 2 months. In addition, the employer has the opportunity to further delay these procedures, preventing the conference from being held, appealing against the actions of employees and the trade union in court, etc.

The question arises: if the Italian strike is work in strict accordance with established rules, job descriptions, etc., then why is it called a strike, because the employee continues to perform labor duties? The bottom line is that the rules can work in different ways. You can stay late at work at lunchtime or at the end of the working day, you can agree to work on weekends and overtime, you can do work that is not stipulated employment contract etc. And you can, as established by the internal labor regulations, start and finish work in strict accordance with shift schedules, refuse to work overtime and work on weekends, refuse to work on faulty equipment until the malfunctions are eliminated, do not perform any work other than that stipulated by the employment contract and job description, strictly observe the rules of labor protection, industrial and fire safety and stop work if there is a threat to the life and health of workers, etc. Moreover, all this is absolutely legal, and cannot be the basis for applying any disciplinary measures to the employee.

Recently, Italian strikes have periodically taken place on major Russian enterprises and almost always give positive results for employees. In recent years, Italian strikes have been resorted to by dock workers from the Sea Port of St. Petersburg and the Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, employees of the Kachkanarsky GOK Vanady OJSC, the Leningrad Metal Plant, the Ford plant in Vsevolozhsk and many other enterprises.

Thus, the "Italian strike" is a common, effective, civilized and legal way for workers to defend their interests.

What is an Italian strike, as defined by its organizers? Here are the statements recorded by A. Ilyin of members of the trade union committee of the Ford Motor Company plant in Vsevolozhsk, who have rich practical experience in conducting such actions.
- This, - explained one of the members of the trade union committee, - work according to the rules. It is known that the work instructions are carried out with us partially. Softly said. As a rule, take more, throw further. As soon as we start working according to the rules, we have such a decline in productivity ...
- This is not a strike. Only the title. This is how we have to work. And now we are working in violation of all requirements. And for this we would be punished for not complying with them. Approach the safety engineer and ask for instructions.
The Italian strike at the Ford took place from 21 to 25 November 2005. According to most sources, during the Italian strike, the plant reduced production by 15-20 cars per day (315 cars less per week), which, according to experts, could create severe disruptions in the delivery of the required number of cars to dealers, and from them to buyers . According to the trade union committee, the decline was up to 30%.
- The Italian strike was prepared in one day. On Sunday they sat down and decided, then they postponed it for a week. At first they doubted that it would work, but when it came to a head… And when they realized that people would not go on a normal strike before the New Year, because everyone wants to earn money, they decided to do an Italian one.
Working according to the rules to a different extent disrupts normal production, which is based on the assumption of systematic violations of the rules. The main direction was the control of rules during transportation.
Delivery has played a big role. The guys on tractors began to drive 5 km per hour as expected, just super, the line immediately began to wedge.
- In our brigade, the requirement was fulfilled: “5 km per hour”. The purpose of the strike is not to kill production, but to achieve something. For example, we have added people. Previously, it was not noticeable, we are worn, tongue on the shoulder. Further, you can not drive past the equipment closer than a few meters. They: “But we have cars!”. The plant is not designed to comply with all these rules.

True, it is even more difficult to follow these rules than to break them. Try to drive at a speed of 5 km/h for a week. People drive with eyes like this. "Well, your mother!" - they say.
- They put bottles under their pedals so as not to go faster.
The second direction is safety control.
- Immediately in many areas stopped work on specifications, downtime was at 4 or 5 o'clock, then we already had a labor protection inspection, we organized it. A little something - they immediately got a call, and they flooded: there is a threat to life!
The workers as a whole supported the decision of the trade union committee to go on strike in Italy.
- And how did the people react to this strike? - I ask the chairman of the trade union committee.
- With delight! Less work, more cost.
True, not all the workers agreed, for various reasons, to participate in the strike.
- Strikebreakers, - admits the chairman, - there were. But here how? If the conveyor is standing, then what's the difference, everything is worth it. But those who violated were cut off, one went like a wild pilot, talked to him, stopped. You can't go against the team. The people are beginning to realize that everything depends on collective action.
As a result of the Italian strike, management began to take the rules more seriously.
- Masters are trying to beat us with our own weapons, demanding compliance with all the rules. But they do not understand that we can get them 100 times more.
- It's for the best. You yourself will get used to the order, because there are industrial injuries.

1. Accurately observe the rules of internal labor regulations (hereinafter referred to as the PVTR, paragraph 2, part 2, article 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

3. Strictly comply with the established labor (production) standards (part 1 of article 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation), in no case exceeding them.

5. If the employee is not provided with personal and collective protective equipment in accordance with the established norms, it is necessary to notify the employer of the start of downtime due to his fault. According to part 5 of Art. 220 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, in this case, the employer is not entitled to demand from the employee the performance of labor duties and apply any disciplinary sanctions to the employee in connection with the refusal to perform labor duties.

6. If the PWTR states that the employee is obliged to clean up the workplace at the end of work (or keep the workplace clean) - clean up the workplace not after the end of the working day, but 5 minutes before the end of the working day, since this is the responsibility of the employee which he is obliged to fulfill within the prescribed time.

7. Perform only that work and observe only those labor duties that are provided for by his labor (official) duties, with which the employee is familiar.

8. Refuse to work on weekends and holidays (Article 113 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) and overtime work (Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). In this case, it must be remembered that it is possible to involve an employee in work on holidays and overtime without his consent only in cases specified by law, namely:

1) to prevent a catastrophe, industrial accident or eliminate the consequences of a catastrophe, industrial accident or natural disaster;

2) to prevent accidents, destruction or damage to the property of the employer, state or municipal property;

In ancient times, as in the Middle Ages, no one even heard of strikes. If the slaves refused to work, they were either resold to someone who could handle them, or flogged on their own until the desire to work arose. The feudal lord, on the other hand, could drive a peasant who did not want to go out into the field, depriving him of the opportunity to grow his own food, or give him up as a soldier.

A strike is a means of struggle between hired workers and the owner of industrial capacities and instruments of production. The term itself comes from the Italian word basta, which translates as "enough / stop." To stop during the strike, workers can demand financial fraud, during which they wage withheld or not paid to the extent they wish to receive it. Also, the strike may be associated with political demands.

This event is carried out as follows - the workers refuse to fulfill their duties in production until the owner of the plant or factory fulfills their requirements. A strike is possible only under the following conditions:

The basis of the economy is production, which requires hired workers - free people who can only be lured to the workplace by economic promises.
Limited number of skilled workers. If there are many unemployed specialists, and the economic situation in the country is in crisis, then the strikers are immediately replaced with strikebreakers.
The working team is formed from people of the same income and is quite stable. The demands put forward during the strike must be clear to everyone, and its purpose must be important.

Italian recipe

The employer fought the strikes in different ways. It was possible, of course, to ask the Cossacks with whips to chase the protesting proletariat, but such a luxury is also not cheap, especially for the owner of an idle factory. Among the simplest methods to solve the problem was to fire the strikers and hire new workers. To expel with a wolf ticket someone who does not want to work and has come up with some reasons for that is a couple of trifles. To avoid such a sad fate, the Italian strike was invented.

According to historical information, Italian aviators of the early 20th century invented this method of working struggle. Risk guys were underpaid, and they carefully studied the charter of flying. It turned out that a lot of the requirements set out there are meaningless and curious. For several days, the pilots lived according to the charter and practically did not take off. There was nothing to fire them for, since they followed all the instructions correctly, they had to pay.

The people liked the idea. Soon an Italian strike was also held at Russian plants and factories. Our people are dashing - they love to work in such a way that the matter is in their hands to argue, to have fun from the heart, to dance and sing ditties. Because of this, the dreary fulfillment of unintelligible points of instructions was very soon called a bagpipe, they said: "pipe", comparing a monotonous working day with the mournful sounds of this musical instrument.

A strike in which everyone works according to instructions. "Italian strike" - the meaning and origin of phraseology? Technology to end the “Italian strike”

Italian recipe

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