Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon and Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) chairman Avi Nissenkorn met at the end of last week to discuss matters of mutual concern, chief among them the issue of contract workers in public services. This was the first meeting between the two since Kahlon became minister of finance, Hebrew daily "Ma'ariv" reports.
It was concluded that the employment of contract workers should be reduced until it was completely eliminated. A few days earlier, Kahlon had instructed Ministry of Finance Commissioner of Wages Kobi Amsalem to prepare for a change in this area.
In 2012, contract workers in cleaning and security received substantial improvements to their pay and conditions. However, the phenomenon of contract workers working "shoulder to shoulder" with permanent employees in the same professions, such as teaching and social work, but on worse terms remained.
There is no precise information about the extent of this phenomenon, and the Histadrut was asked to provide figures to the Ministry of Finance. A further problem is that the Ministry of Finance cannot compel local authorities to raise spending on salaries without specifying who will pay for the increase.
Furthermore, even if these problems are solved, there remains the question of management flexibility. Professionals at the Ministry of Finance are demanding that the Histadrut should allow movement of workers within the public service, and promotion and compensation according to criteria of excellence. The ministry believes that giving tenure to contract workers will impair flexibility within public bodies and their standard of service.
Nissenkorn confirmed to "Ma'ariv" that the meeting had taken place, and said that he and the minister of finance saw eye on eye on the need to solve the problem of contract workers in the public service.
Meanwhile, "Ma'ariv" also reports that workers in the Planning Administration at the Ministry of the Interior intend to apply sanctions because of the government's decision to transfer the Administration to the Ministry of Finance. The workers fear that the transfer will adversely affect their employment conditions. About 100 workers are involved. It is still not clear whether all divisions of the Planning Administration will be removed from the Ministry of the Interior, or only those departments directly concerned with construction, as Minister of the Interior Silvan Shalom is demanding.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 25, 2015
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