“We’ll probably declare a general labor dispute this week, after we convene Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) representatives. Today and tomorrow, we’ll declare labor disputes in each of the trade unions. In each sector, we’ll legally challenge the budget sections affecting the workers in that trade union,” Histadrut Trade Union division head Shlomo Shani told “Globes”.
The specific labor disputes to be declared include the National Union of Government Employees; the National Union of Clerical, Administrative and Public Service Employees, which includes all employees of the local authorities; the National Association of Nurses in Israel; the Union of Academics in Social Sciences and Humanities (Histadrut), and the National Federation of Engineers.
Shani continued, “Declaring a labor dispute means that each trade union is entitled to take any measures, including a strike, after a fifteen-day cooling off period. The same applies to a general strike. If we manage during this period to preserve the norm of negotiations with the employers, there is some chance that we will not go on strike.”
Shani added, “A strike is the last thing we want. If we begin a strike, it will be for lack of choice, because the Ministry of Finance pushed us into it. I hope we don’t have to repeat the 100-day strike in 2003, because the Ministry of Finance’s tactic is the same. If they haven’t learned the lesson from that unnecessary strike, then I’m afraid we’ll have to go through it again.”
National Union of Clerical, Administrative and Public Service Employees chairman Leon Morozovsky is summoning the chairpersons of the local authorities workers committees in order to declare a labor dispute at the local authorities against the 2005 budget. The conference will also announce a halt in negotiations with the Ministry of the Interior over the recovery plan for local authorities in distress.
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu said, he preferred an agreement with the Histadrut on a reduction in public sector wages. If the Histadrut opposes the cut, however, he said that the Ministry of Finance would take “other measures.”
”The Histadrut should help, and everything will be done with its consent. The cabinet has authorized me to negotiate. We’re ready to negotiate with the Histadrut. It’s not something that we’re going to pass in a law. We want public sector salaries to rise 3%, instead of 6%. I want to solve the problem through dialogue. If the Histradrut remains opposed, we have other means,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu expressed satisfaction at the cabinet’s approval of the budget.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on August 16, 2004