The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO supported the nation-wide action of the trade unions of budget-sector workers against government plans to reform wages for budget workers. On February 27, 2003, First Deputy Head of the YABLOKO party and Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Vladimir Lukin and member of the Bureau of the Federal Council of YABLOKO, Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Education and Science Alexander Shishlov spoke at the meeting organized near the House of Government in Moscow.

In his speech at the meeting Shishlov expressed his solidarity with the workers in education, science and other budget sectors and supported the demands regarding the provision of state guarantees for wages of workers in these sectors, as well as a two-fold increase in the wages of budget workers. Lukin said that "if the government has enough money for war, they can find the funds for budget sector workers."

Even though the organizers of this action did not receive permission from the Moscow authorities to organize such an action near the House of Government, the meeting gathered about 2,000 people. As well as Muscovites, representatives from Stavropol Territory, Udmurtia, Chuavashia, Bryansk, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Tver, Kostroma and Volgograd regions participated in the meeting.

They held slogans: "Pay a decent wage to teachers!", "A hungry student is dangerous!", "Mr. President, stop the destruction of education!"

Previously YABLOKO and the State Duma Committee for Education and Science headed by Shishlov has, with the support of State Duma committees for health care, culture and labour, consistently opposed the reform developed by the Labour Ministry. In January 2003 the committee headed by Shishlov conducted special parliamentary hearings on the problem of wages for the teachers.

In the beginning of February 2003 owing to the position of pro-governmental factions, as well as LDPR and the SPS, YABLOKO's proposal (on issuing a resolution stating that the government's reform is inadmissible) was rejected. However as week later YABLOKO managed to include in the centrists' resolution a demand to include financial and legal guarantees on minimum wages in the government's reform concept.

See also:

Reform in education