There were severe disruptions in passenger rail traffic this morning. Many passengers reported that trains were cancelled all over the country, due to what the Israel Railways' workers committee is calling "technical problems". However, furious passengers are saying that the disruptions are deliberate, and are not due to breakdowns.
Israel Railways says that employees are defying a court back-to-work order. A Tel Aviv Labor Court judge ordered the railway workers to end their sanctions and return to work.
Many passengers report severe disruptions due to cancelled trains this morning. One passenger at the Ashkelon train station told Channel 2 News, "I've been waiting almost an hour. A train is due every 30 minutes - but there are simply no trains. Half the people here have left the station to use alternative means of transport."
The Tel Aviv Labor Court this afternoon ordered the Israel Railway workers to operate four new locomotives. In the hearing, the employees contended that the locomotive drivers had not completed their training, and that there were liable to be safety problems. The judge dismissed these arguments, saying that management had sole discretion on operating the locomotives, and that it was not a decision of the employees.
The Israel Railways workers committee said, "It should be stated that the Israel Railways workers committee is not disrupting railway operations. At issue are four locomotives, the drivers of which cannot drive them at this time for safety reasons because of inadequate training. Today's disruptions were due to management's decision not to use the proposed alternative locomotives."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 13, 2012
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