Under instructions from the Histadrut General Trade Union, railways, ports, defense industries, Israel Electric Company, Bezeq, government ministries and local authorities, religious councils and day care programs were on strike today.
In addition, banks, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the Postal Authority, the healthcare system except doctors, oil refineries and the gasoline companies were all on strike today. Higher education institutions except professors and court employees were on strike today, although judges worked as usual. Fire departments and Magen Daviv Adom (ambulance and first aid) services operated only emergency staffs. Schools were in session as usual. Kindergartens were open until 11:00 am.
Dozens of problems occurred today at telephone switches nationwide due to Bezeq’s strike. Jerusalem’s Ramat Eshkol switch is on the verge of collapse, and 20,000 subscribers will remain without service if the technical failure is not repaired.
According to reports from the Histadrut situation room, the Hamashbir LeZarchan junction in Eilat was blocked, as were Ashkelon Junction, Silber Junction Ashdod Junction, Kiryat Gat junction, Yad Mordechai Junction, Shderot Junction, Plugot Junction, Beer Sheva Municipality Junction, and the Dimona Paz junction on the Eilat road, were all blocked.
In the center of the country, the junction of Ibn Gvirol and Arlozorov streets in Tel Aviv, Glilot Junction, Bilu Junction, Beit Dagan Junction, Sgula Junction in Petach Tikva, Elite Junction in Ramat Gan, the Kirya Junction in Tel Aviv, the northern entrance to Netanya, Nir Zvi Junction and the nearby railway tracks, and Road No. 1 (the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway) near the National Labour Tribunal, were all blocked at various points during the day.
In the north, the West Carmiel and East Carmiel junctions, Ziklon Junction, Misgav Junction, Dir el Assad Junction, Acre-Nahariya Junction, Kiryat Shmona Junction, Oil Refineries Junction, Fertilizers Junction, Chemicals Junction, Zemach Junction, Golani Junction, the main junction near the Tiberias police station the exit junction from Nazareth Elite and the exit from Haifa, were all blocked temporarily.
In addition, hundreds of workers conducted demonstrations and carried placards at Plugot and Ashdod junctions. Dimona railway workers, who have been on strike for more than two weeks, not related to the current general strike, physically blocked the Eilat access road, and agreed to leave after about two hours of demonstration and the involvement of the police.
Jerusalem’s Road No. 1 was blocked by dozens of demonstrators outside the National Labour Tribunal in that city. The police attempted to remove demonstrators from the site.