Histadrut
Israeli wildcat strikers kicked out of union
In unprecedented move, the Histadrut union federation has ousted leaders of last weeks wildcat strike on Israel Railways.
The action paves the way for Israel Railways management to prosecute the six workers committee members as if they were regular employees.
Aftermath of wildcat at Israel Railways
Using an inside source, an Israeli libertarian communist constructs an analysis of the picture behind the scenes at the recent wildcat of Israel Railways workers. For context, see the original news update.
“We couldn't even walk around a train station without workers eating at us!” – One of the six union representatives accused of being responsible for the wildcat, at the disciplinary hearing.
“What you saw today was a distress signal from workers without a leadership... what they needed was a bear hug, an open ear...” – advocate for same, at the disciplinary hearing.
Wildcat strike in Tel Aviv airport
Hundreds of Israel Airports Authority employees protested yesterday afternoon opposite the organization's headquarters after declaring a general strike at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
The strike quickly ended as the Histadrut labor federation intervened and called to renew negotiations between workers and management officials.
Israel: Dimona rail workers on wildcat strike
Workers at the Dimona train station went on strike Thursday (May 29th) to protest the firing of a veteran comrade.
This employee was the first of some 15 expected to be forced into early retirement this year at the Dimona station as part of an agreement between Histadrut and Israel Rail. The employees stopped work as soon as they heard of their comrade's dismissal.
General strike shuts down Israel
A general strike brought Israel's economy to a near halt Wednesday as all but emergency services shut down.
The strike declared Tuesday night closed most government offices and the postal service while workers related to defense and emergency healthcare remained on the job, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Government negotiations with the Histadrut labor federation were to continue Wednesday in hope of ending the strike by day's end, The Post reported.
Israeli general strike called off as negotiations begin
The public sector strike scheduled to begin Wednesday morning has been postponed indefinitely, Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini decided Tuesday after meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
During the meeting, Olmert promised to intervene personally in order to expedite the payment of withheld wages to municipal worker employees and to "personally follow the progression."
The strike was meant to protest a delay in the payment of wages to between 7,000 and 8,000 employees of 40 local authorities and 16 religious councils.
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.
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.
