More than 120 local authorities in Israel, including 15 major cities, began striking at 6am this morning (Wednesday) in protest at the across-the-board budget cuts imposed on ministries in the 2017-2018 budget decided upon earlier his week. Local authorities and municipalities will not provide services to residents and kindergartens and high schools will be closed in the strike called by Union of Local Authorities in Israel chairman Haim Bibas, who is the Mayor of Modi'in, Maccabim, Reut.
Mayors and heads of local authorities met in the Knesset at 11 am and decided to continue the strike tomorrow.
Bibas and others representatives of the Union of Local Authorities took part in marathon all night discussions in the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem with senior figures from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau and Ministry of Finance director general Shai Babad. However, efforts to avert the strike failed.
Both sides put out announcements accusing each other of intransigence and refusal to budge from their positions. The Jerusalem Municipality did not join the strike.
Earlier this week, the cabinet and Knesset Finance Committee approved NIS 1.2 billion in cuts for the 2017-2018 budget in order to finance, among other things, the relocation of the Amona settlement, establish the new public broadcasting corporation, and build new schools in haredi (ultra-Orthodox) communities.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 21, 2016
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