"We won't stay silent over the withholding of salaries. We'll go out to battle at the Histadrut until the last drop of our blood," declared Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) workers committee chairman Yitzhak Yehuda at a meeting of the company's 3,400 employees today. The meeting was convened after they did not receive their October salaries.
Yehuda added, "Has anyone at the Ministry of Finance ever seen his father not get paid? They are heartless. They want to sell us for pennies to tycoons close to the regime."
Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) chairman Ofer Eini added, "If the salaries aren’t paid, then everything is kosher as far as we're concerned. I call on Netanyahu: intervene in this crisis so there won't be repercussions on labor relations in the country."
IMI did not pay October salaries after the Ministry of Finance did not transfer the NIS 60 million needed for the outlay. The ministry transferred NIS 60 million - half of which comes from the Ministry of Defense - last month to the company for goods, with the proceeds being used to pay salaries.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 12, 2009
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