Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) chairman Avi Nissenkorn announced yesterday evening that he intended to declare a general labor dispute in Israel on Tuesday. The Histadrut says that the grounds for the dispute are the low minimum wage, the increasing use of contract workers, and "the state's contempt in failing to apply an extension order concerning the employment of people with disabilities in the public service."
If a labor dispute is declared on Tuesday, it will mean that 14 days afterwards, on December 2, public sector workers will be able to come out on strike.
In addition, the head of the Israel Teachers Union, Yossi Wasserman, also intends to declare a labor dispute on Thursday, because of the contract workers issue.
Nissenkorn has been trying for a long time to promote a rise in the minimum wage. In addition, labor disputes have been simmering on several fronts in recent weeks, among other places in the civil service, the National Insurance Institute, the Israel Postal Company, and several government companies.
"All attempts at dialogue with the government have failed," Nissenkron said, "The government's policies have proved to us that apart from shady deals at the expense of the weakest workers, no genuine solution has been offered. I will not lend a hand to shady deals that widen gaps and force thousands of families to live on humiliatingly low wages that do not permit them to live decently. I suggest that the government ministers should try living on NIS 4,300 for just one month. The entire country will stand behind us in demanding a rise in the shameful and humiliating minimum wage paid to hundreds of thousands of workers in the economy."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 16, 2014
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