The small injury that is made with a pointed element is called a picket.
Piquete is a term whose first meaning collected by the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) refers to the slight injury caused by some pointed element. The concept is also used to name the aggression that consists of inserting one's fingers into a person's eyes , as "The Three Stooges" used to do in the famous television comedy.
For example: “The player poked his rival in the eyes, but the judge did not notice it,” “The spider left a bite on my arm that still burns,” “A young man was killed by a poke that struck him.” a criminal.”
The notion of picket is also used to name the group of individuals who gather in a public space to carry out a protest and express their demands. Generally, the picket seeks to interrupt circulation or free transit (through streets, highways or routes, etc.) with the intention of attracting attention and exerting greater pressure.
Picketing as a method of protest
Pickets, as a method of protest, can have very varied characteristics. While some develop peacefully, others resort to violence and coercion.
In the aforementioned strikes, the so-called information pickets take center stage, which are made up of members of different unions or workers' unions and whose clear objective is solely and exclusively to inform about the reasons for these work stoppages, in order to convince their listeners. to join them.
Of these information pickets, it is worth knowing other of their main identifying features:
- It is important to be aware that they are fully regulated by law.
- The people who are part of them must proceed to carry out their information work using endless resources such as pamphlets, megaphones and even banners.
- It is vital and necessary that the members of these pickets be accredited, through badges or identification. It is the way to have knowledge of the union organization to which they belong.
- To be able to work as a picket in Spain , the only requirement is that you be part of a workers' union.
A picket can be a protest that makes movement difficult or impossible.
From demonstration to coercion
Sometimes, during strike celebrations, serious conflicts arise as a result of the actions of certain information pickets, as they use force and even coercive actions to get workers to join them. And that is not only an error but it is also a direct attack against the right of any employee not to support it, as legally recognized in labor relations decrees.
Under the legislation, pickets are usually considered a valid form of protest, framed in the right of citizens to assemble and demonstrate. However, on some occasions, they can be declared illegal because they prevent other people from moving or because they intimidate the population that is not part of the protest.