The National Union of Clerical, Administrative and Public Service Employees: The Ministry of the Interior is pressuring local authorities to cut staff.
The National Union of Clerical, Administrative and Public Service Employees, headed by chairman Leon Morozovsky, will hold an urgent meeting tomorrow to decide on measures in its battle with the local authorities. The union will probably declare a labor dispute at local authorities throughout Israel in a few days. The union claims that thousands of local authorities' employees have not been paid, and heavy pressure is being applied on the local authorities to fire employees.
Morozovsky said, "The Ministry of the Interior has lately been applying heavy pressure on all the local authorities' heads to fire workers. The minister is calling each local authority head, and making aid subject to massive lay-offs."
The National Union of Clerical, Administrative and Public Service Employees estimates that 20,000 employees will be affected in municipalities, regional authorities, religious councils, and Arab communities, where salaries are months in arrears and money has not been allocated for employees' social benefits.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 6, 2004