The protesters want better pay for doctors, teachers and pensioners

Officials from the main independent trade union accuse the government of attacking the working class by cutting state subsidies and benefits.

They are demanding higher wages and greater protection from the state.

They say 20% of the population lives below the poverty line and unpaid wages total nearly $1bn (�550m).

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says this contrasts with the image of Russia painted by the government - a country enjoying record growth and a mini-

Putin held out the prospect of a fully convertible rouble

boom because of the high price of oil.

Strike threat

Around 1,500 people gathered outside the government headquarters in Moscow and similar protests were being held across the country.

Protesters demanded better treatment of doctors, teachers and pensioners.

Regional trade union leader Andrei Zimin, in a rally on the Kamchatka peninsula, said: "The government's program to fight poverty must not become a fight against the poor themselves."

Trade union leaders have warned that if their demands are ignored, they will push ahead with plans for a nationwide strike in September.

The protests come in the wake of hunger strikes by coal miners in Siberia and southern Russia demanding unpaid back wages.

In last month's state-of-the-nation speech, Russian President Vladimir vowed to build a rich, modern Russian state.

He said his goals were a higher living standard for Russians and the pursuit of stability, democracy and Russia's strategic interests abroad.