Labor Party chairwoman MK Shelly Yachimovich and Minister of Finance Yair Lapid strongly oppose the return of Alon Hassan as chairman of the workers committee at Ashdod Port Company Ltd.
"Hassan's return to his position as chairman of the Ashdod Port workers committee is a real blow to organized labor in Israel," said Lapid. "Organized labor and the protection of workers' rights in Israel should be represented by someone who looks out for the good of the workers, not his personal benefit."
On Sunday, Yachimovich wrote on her Facebook page, "It is a serious mistake to reinstate Alon Hasson as chairman of the Ashdod Port workers committee. Hassan is a rotten apple who stains labor leaders, all workers, and us, the fighters for organized labor who believe in it. The Histadrut was right to suspend him, and wrong to reinstate him today, 'because he no longer has business relations with the port'. I deeply regret this. Netanyahu, Lapid, Bennett, and Yisrael Katz can go out and dance in the streets. They have been given the best weapon that privatizers and haters of organized labor could have dreamed of. Hassan is not just a symbol mentioned every time they want to privatize state assets, shame, destroy a union, or outsource. He is not just a symbol; he is a true corrupt thug."
Yachimovich said that Hassan "stained and contaminated" labor representatives "with the manners and lifestyle of a banana republic ruler, not of a labor leader. A luxurious home, swimming pool in the backyard, luxury cars, private businesses of his own and of his family that do business with the port, nepotism in contracts, a climate of fear and intimidation, and closing the port to celebrate private events. We, the fighters for organized labor, cannot allow stay silent when we denounce the corruption of other top officials."
On Sunday, the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) announced that Hassan could be reinstated immediately as chairman of the Ashdod Port workers committee, after a special Histadrut committee that examined his affairs concluded that there was no conflict of interests between his private businesses, including his business dealings with the port, and his position on the workers committee,.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 1, 2013
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