The following is the Czech text of a flyer handed out by students at the demonstration on Letna Square in Prague in 1989 and an English translation:


Pravo na stavku – the right to (go on) strike

 

Ustava CSSR pravo na stavku vyslovne neupravuje. Toto pravo neni predmetem ani zadne jine pravni upravy v CSSR. Podle zakladniho prava, platneho i u nas, vsak plati, ze co neni zakonem zakazano, je dovoleno.

 

The constitution of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic does not specifically deal with the right to strike. This right is not the subject of any other law/amendment in the CSSR either. According to the fundamental/basic law, in effect/valid also here (in our country), all that is not forbidden by the law is permitted.

 

Mezinarodni pakt o hospodarskych, socialnich a kulturnich pravech, ktery prijala i CSSR / c. 120/1976 Sb. / pravo na stavku upravuje cl. 8 odst.1 pism. d. Stoji zde: “Staty, smluvni strany paktu, se zavazuji zajistit . . . pravo na stavku za predpokladu ze je vykonano v souladu se zakony prislusne zeme.”/Toto pravo je tedy jednim z tech prav, u niz CSSR dosud nedostala svym mezinarodne-pravnim zavazkum./

 

An international agreement concerning economic, social and cultural rights, accepted by CSSR / . . . / deals with the right to strike in article 8, paragraph 1, letter d. Here it states: “Countries, the parties of this agreement, commit to ensure/provide . . . the right to strike, given it is exercised in accordance with the laws of the country.” / This right, therefore, is one of the rights where CSSR has not fulfilled its international-law commitments so far./

 

Pravo na stavku ma tedy kazdy obcan CSSR, a protoze toto pravo neni zakonem ani jinym pravnim predpisem upraveno, je neomezeno. / To vsak neznamena, ze by stavkujici nemeli jinak dodrzovat platne pravo. Nesmi se napr. dopoustet trestnych cinu ublizeni na zdravi, poskozovani cizich veci atd. Nesmi tedy v probehu stavku delat to, co by nemohli delat i jinak.

 

Every citizen of CSSR has, therefore, the right to go on strike, and as this right is not in any way dealt with by any law or amendment/legal regulation, it is unrestricted. /That, however, does not mean that those who are on strike should not follow applicable laws. For instance, it is not permitted to commit crimes of physical injury, destruction of others’ property etc. Therefore, during the strike they cannot do what they could not do otherwise.


Many thanks to Jitka M., who was only 11 years old when these events took place, for providing a Czech to English translation of this flyer.