"The minimum wage in Israel should be raised to NIS 6,000. We have no choice, because the cost of living is rising. As we did when we raised the minimum wage before to NIS 5,300, we and the employers will have to find a way to do it. We'll also have to find a way of increasing the old age allowance, even at the expense of the workers, so that the allowance for senior citizens will rise," Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) chairman Arnon Bar-David said. He made the remark in a talk with Manufacturers Association of Israel president and chairman of the directorate of business organizations Shraga Brosh at the 2019 annual industry conference in Tel Aviv.
Bar-David added, "Political parties are now trying to include the issue of increasing the minimum wage in their platforms. I think that this issue should be left to the employers and the workers, because politics will only damage the cause."
Responding to Bar-David's statement, Brosh said, "The increase in the minimum wage and senior citizens' allowances can be paid in instalments over a number of years."
Bar-David and Brosh signed a joint charter calling for preference to products manufactured in Israel in recognition of the importance of industry to the Israeli economy and domestic employement.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 2, 2019
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