Hundreds of "Ma'ariv" employees are demonstrating outside the Hebrew daily's premises in Tel Aviv to protest management's plans for another wave of layoffs. Earlier today, the employees declared a labor dispute to begin on September 24.
"No compensation, no layoffs" shouted employees, who claim that management has not set aside sufficient money to compensate fired employees. A dozen police cars are in the area to keep public order. Employees set fire to tires.
When the sale of "Ma'ariv" by Nochi Dankner to Shlomo Ben-Tzvi is completed, most of the newspaper's workforce will be fired, except for a core of 300-400 persons. At an emergency meeting last night between the "Ma'ariv" journalists union and Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini, it was decided that the employees would fight to protect their rights ahead of the sale.
"If the employees' rights are not secured from their perspective, there won't be a deal," said Eini. He added that the real meaning of the sale was the closing of "Ma'ariv" and the opening of a new newspaper with the same name. For now, he said, "There is no promise to the workers and it is not clear if they will receive compensation and payments to the pension fund."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 11, 2012
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