About 100 street cleaners in work uniforms staged a strike Thursday morning outside the municipal administration building in northeast Moscow to demand official work status and higher pay, news reports said.
The protesters, mainly migrants from Central Asia, work as street cleaners for the Sokolniki municipal administration but say they were hired without official registration or proper work contracts, Vesti-Moskva reported.
The district's municipal property management office reduced their pay and then refused to pay more than 3,000 rubles ($100) per month, they said.
"What should we do? We can't even go to the doctor, nothing. Or aren't we working? Then who does the cleaning?" one of the protesters said.
Representatives of the Sokolniki municipal administration refused to talk to the demonstrators.
This is not the first street cleaners' strike in Moscow this winter. In December, dozens of street cleaners refused to clear snow in the East Izmailovo district to protest a six-month delay in their pay, Newsmsk.com reported.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
