Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini today made a declaration of war against the Trajtenberg committee report: he will declare a general labor dispute today to demand that the government directly contract workers working for it.
Eini said, "I had hoped that the Trajtenberg committee would make the right recommendation to hire the contract workers. But, as I've said before, it seems that the long arms of the Ministry of Finance Budget Division made sure that Trajtenberg only skipped over the issue."
Eini said, "We will launch the first fight of its kind to reduce the number of contract workers in the economy. This is a vital struggle, possibly historic, to achieve real social justice. The use of contract workers has become increasingly widespread in recent years, and must be reduced. There are many places, especially in government, which employ contract workers, not to cut costs, but merely to make it easier to avoid giving them their basic rights and dignity in the workplace."
Eini said that the direct hiring of contract employees would not involve higher costs, but that it would benefit the workers. "In many cases, the employers pay the employment agency far more money, of which only a part reaches the worker. The agency takes a hefty chunk at the worker's expense. A worker directly employed will receive a full salary that includes the mediation fee. This is an effective way to narrow social gaps."
Eini concluded, "The labor dispute is only about contract workers because this falls within the authority of the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel). But the Histadrut will continue supporting other social issues raised by the protest. The voices of the social protest showed us that the issue of contract workers is an important station on the road to real social justice."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 4, 2011
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2011