The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) yesterday announced that employees of Kamada Ltd. (TASE: KMDA) have unionized and set up a workers committee, which will represent the pharmaceutical company's 300 employees. Kamada is considered one of Israel's most promising life sciences companies, and the unionization of its employees is another sigh that unionization is a cross-industry trend.
The Histadrut also announced that the 320 employees of steelmaker Hod Assaf Industries Ltd. have also joined the union, and that they are demanding better terms under a labor contract.
Histadrut Negev District chairman Meir Babioff notified Kamada CEO David Tsur that the Histadrut now represents the company's employees. A source at the company said that Tsur was considered a "strict manager" and that the employees were pinning many hopes on their unionization.
The Histadrut says that precedent-setting ruling by National Labor Court in the Pelephone Communications Ltd. case two months ago, banning employers from expressing any position against the unionization of their employees, has resulted in a new wave of unionization in Israel. The Histadrut says that, in addition to Kamada and Hod Assaf, it has unionized Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd. (TASE: CLIS), Ubank Ltd., and poultry products producer Miouoff Enterprises Ltd.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 14, 2013
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