Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini today launched an unprecedented attack on Minister of Finance Ronnie Bar-On over the Ministry of Finance's pension safety net plan. In an interview with "Globes", Eini said, "Everyone sees how tough the situation is, but the finance minister is standing on his ego and nothing helps. I recently met a well-known accountant, and instead of discussing the crisis, we're discussing how to crack Bar-On's ego."
Eini added, "Bar-On is a prisoner of his officials. Trapped. The finance minister needs a crane to give him a vision. He should think outside the box. Everything is business as usual, as if there were no crisis. There's a wave of layoffs, amounting to tens of thousands of workers. There are far more than is reported in the media because we don’t hear about the layoffs in small businesses."
"Globes": Maybe it's your ego that's hurt? After all, the Ministry of Finance has been trying to weaken you for a long time.
Eini: "You're only reinforcing what I'm saying. Instead of dealing with the crisis, they're playing games. That's why I said this morning that Bar-On is a hero, that he's king of Israel, and that he's a winner. He can summon me anytime, and I'll meet him anywhere. I don’t have an ego and I have nothing personal against Bar-On. It isn't Bar-On against Eini, but Bar-On against everyone."
Bar-On is not taking Eini's vilification lying down. In an interview on “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal), Bar-On said, "Belying the ballyhoo in the media and at the Manufacturers Association and the Histadrut, the public is more rational and level-headed. Figures show that there is no panic. The condition of the banks and the funds does not justify massive intervention."
At a personal level, Bar-On added, "These people are heated up at a time when we're meeting round the clock figuring out how to help workers and the public. It seems that Eini wants a different finance minister, but he'll have to wait for a long time. I regret that Ofer Eini has lost his sang-froid. His charges of ego are baseless. I'm a political man facing elections. If I wanted to be a populist, it would be easy. Most of [Manufacturers Association president Shraga] Brosh and Eini's slogans are actually programs that they heard about at the Ministry of Finance."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 9, 2008
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