The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) headquarters decided yesterday not to confine its actions to a school strike on Sunday. A series of sanctions and disruptions in all the local authorities is planned to start then, and escalate up to a full local authorities strike a week from Thursday.
National Union of Clerical, Administrative, and Public Service Employees chairman Leon Morozovsky said he would not negotiate with the Ministry of Finance until the local authorities’ employees are paid their salaries.
Histadrut chairman MK Amir Perez (One Nation) called on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to intervene in the crisis.
”The crisis in the local authorities would not have occurred had the government fulfilled its commitments to finance educational and welfare service,” local authorities head told Minister of Internal Affairs Avraham Poraz. They met Poraz last night for the first time since the local authorities budget crisis began. To the surprise of those present, Poraz announced that he supported the local authorities in their struggle.
Among other things, the local authorities heads are protesting the NIS 1.5 billion cut in equalization grants, the failure to pay the salaries of workers at 75 local authorities, and a NIS 700,000 cut in the education and welfare budgets.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 27, 2004