Middle East
Israeli civil servants will strike if not paid by this Friday
Following on from the recent general strike, civil servants are threatening strike action if their wages continue to be unpaid by Friday.
Civil service workers will walk out if their salaries are not paid by the end of this week, said Ofer Eini, the head of the Histadrut National Labor Federation.
Israel: general strike to continue tomorrow
The Israeli public sector general strike which saw airports and government offices closed last week is likely to resume tomorrow following another collapse in negotiations.
The strike halted after one day following a back to work order by the National Labor Court. The court order also instructed the relevant councils to pay monies owing by the end of the week but this hasn't occurred.
Health worker and bank strikes in Palestine
Banks in Palestine went on a one-day general strike yesterday after a bomb was detonated outside the Arab Bank in Gaza early on Friday.
Circumstances surrounding the explosion are unclear and attackers are unknown. A statement by the Association of Banks in Palestine suggested it may be a reprisal for their complicity in the unpaid wages dispute which led to mass strikes by public sector workers, pointing to stone throwing attacks on banks by strikers.
Two Iranian trade unionists briefly imprisoned
Two more Iranian trade unionists were detained today while a third continues to be imprisoned.
December 3, 2006 - According to a news release issued by the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), two other members of the Board of Directors of the union were arrested today, December 3rd, 2006 in Tehran's Khavaran bus terminal but were released late this evening. They are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow morning, December 4, 2006.
Courts stall Israeli general strike
The general public sector strike called by the Histadrut Labor Federation was halted Thursday morning after the National Labor Court ordered a suspension, but unpaid municipal employees might still have to wait another week to receive their long-due salaries.
"I really hope that the government won't force us to renew a general public strike. The coming week will reveal whether or not the government has the ability to put an end, once and for all, to the disgraceful non-payment of salaries," said Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini.
Israeli bosses demand legal action against general strike
An almost total shutdown of Israeli industry following a general strike has been threatened with legal action after The Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce have asked the National Labour Court to end the strike.
The Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) appealed to the National Labor Court Wednesday morning to order an end to the general strike in the public sector called by the Histadrut and to invite all relevant parties to an urgent discussion on the matter. The Association estimated that the strike would cost the economy NIS 500m.
General strike in Israel
A general strike has broken out in the Israeli public sector following the collapse of negotiations.
A general strike has broken out in the Israeli public sector with airports, ports, government offices, and post offices all being shut down.
More strikes in Israel
Following our report of teachers' and baggage handlers' strikes in Israel at the end of last month, there have been further strikes involving civil servants, bank, university and airport workers this month.
Workers were on strike at 25 branches of the First International Bank of Israel at the begining of November over changes since a merger with Bank Otsar Hahayal. They walked out again on the 21st after workers were suspended following accusations that they leaked details of investigations into the newly appointed bank supervisor to the media, this aggravated the ongoing wage dispute.
Update on Iranian workers' struggles
A round-up of recent struggles going on in Iran, including textile and petrochemical workers' strikes and opposition to new changes in labour law.
Security forces kill a worker and wounded others
Security forces opened fire on workers and drivers in Bandar-e Daylam’s (Persian Gulf Port Daylam) custom, killing one worker and wounding a few others in November 5, 2006.
300 workers protest in Abu Dhabi over expired labour cards
Migrant workers from a major engineering firm held a protest in Abu Dhabi City on Sunday, demanding their visas be renewed.
The workers, from the General Construction Engineering Company (GCE) gathered outside the Ministry of Labour, demanding their employers took action to renew their visas and labour cards.
