an occasion when people protest about a situation at work by doing their job less quickly or effectively, but without breaking their employer's rules or the terms of their contract:
• The work-to-rule exposed the chronic staffing problems in the emergency services.
— see also work ➔ work1* * *
work-to-rule UK US /ˌwɜːktəˈruːl/ noun [C, usually singular] UK (US work-to-contract)
► WORKPLACE a situation in which employees only do as much work as their contracts say they must do, as a way of showing that they are unhappy about pay, conditions, etc., but do not strike (= stop working completely): »
On Thursday the airline had to charter 10 aircraft to counter industrial action by its pilots, who are on a work-to-rule.
Financial and business terms. 2012.