The three-day ports strike ended today. After Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini and Director of Wages Ilan Levin reached a deal last night for a 6% pay hike over two years for ports workers. The parties also agreed to set up a joint team to move forward on the floating of the ports companies' shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), the second stage of the ports reform agreement that was signed in 2005.
The Ministry of Finance said that the deal was a "huge achievement", because it claimed that the Histadrut had demanded a 15% pay hike. Reality is a bit different: the Histadrut's 15% demand was only a starting position, and its more recent demand was 9% over three years, or 3% a year. In other words, the ports workers got what they wanted - a 3% annual pay hike, albeit for two years instead of the three. The Ministry of Finance had demanded that the ports workers should receive the 6.25% pay hike given to all public sector employees, over 3.5 years, or 1.78% a year.
The Ministry of Finance also agreed to another Histadrut demand: ports employees hired in 2004-05 will receive an additional 5% pay hike, for a total raise of 11%. This pay raise was awarded to public sector employees in 2008, but the agreement did not cover these employees.
The Ministry of Finance also agreed to increase the number of vacation days for ports workers as well as the number of sick days that they can redeem. The ministry rejected a Histadrut demand to create a new pay grade above the highest current pay grade, which would have benefited the oldest and best-paid ports workers, as well as their pensions. The ministry said yesterday that this demand proved that the Histadrut "was only concerned for the strong and to widen gaps in the economy."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 6, 2011
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