The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) Trade Unions Division will convene at 11: 30 am today to declare a general labor dispute. The Histadrut's reason is "the refusal of the Ministry of Finance to provide a safety net for pensions savings and to properly deal with the problem of layoffs."
After the mandatory two-week cooling off period, the Histadrut can declare a strike.
Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini told “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal), "In the past two months, we've been negotiating with the Ministry of Finance over the deployment of a safety net for the management of savings. The Ministry of Finance has turned the market into a wild market, gambling with savers' money."
Eini added, "I see the finance minister coming to his senses and talking about deploying a safety net. I hope that during these two weeks, we'll reach a settlement. The strike isn't the goal, it's a means, and I also hear that all the party leaders support a safety net, as well as the governor of the Bank of Israel." He said that the Histadrut was acting responsibly, and that the last thing it wanted was a strike.
Eini says that, in addition to declaring a labor dispute, the Histadrut would push legislation for a pensions savings safety net and for preventing layoffs. It will also seek to promote its joint economic plan with the Manufacturers Association of Israel.
Eini said, "I hear all the spokespeople from across the political spectrum supporting the safety net, so I assume that a law can be passed quickly."
No progress was made in weekend talks between the Histadrut and the Ministry of Finance on outstanding issues.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 23, 2008
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