Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) (TASE: ELEC.B22) employees have stepped up their labor sanctions to protest the decision by CEO Amos Lasker to implement the streamlining plan at the company. The IEC national workers committee, chaired by David (Miko) Zarfati, has ordered employees to work according to a Saturday work schedule. The workers committee began the industrial action last Thursday.
The IEC employees have halted all work on the electricity emergency plan, halted renovations at power stations, and stopped collecting bills and cutting off power from the grid. Employees are currently still preventing the hook-up the Hagit Power Station in Yokne'am to the natural gas pipeline, which will cost IEC millions of shekels.
IEC northern district workers committee Yaakov Davida said, "The workers committee is united, and will not lend its hand to unilateral measures that are liable to result in the laying off of one in four employees at the company. We have concluded that the company CEO wants to wage war against us, and we'll beat him in this war."
A member of the IEC northern district engineers committee, Yaakov Hai, said, "The only good thing that Lasker has done is to unite all the workers in the struggle against the CEO who wants to harm our livelihoods."
Last night, IEC executives said that Lasker was acting for the good of the company by implementing the restructuring plan, which is the only measure that will ensure a financial return and the future of the company's employees. IEC has not yet responded to the workers committee ordering a Saturday work schedule.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 16, 2009
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