The President of the National Labor Court, Judge Nili Arad, ruled early Thursday morning that the strike could continue during the day, but that there was to be no further strike action at Ben Gurion Airport.
Arad's decision came after the Treasury and the Histadrut reported to her earlier Thursday morning that they intended to continue their intensive dialog, and would file another update with the court at 8 a.m.
Representatives of the Treasury and the Histadrut engaged in negotiations throughout Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Arad also ordered the parties to continue to negotiate throughout Thursday. The National Labor Court President said that representatives of the state, the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce and the Histadruit to report to her chambers in the National Labor Court at 2 p.m. if they are unable to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
The court will convene a further hearing at 4 p.m. Thursday, and Arad ordered the parties to submit written arguments by that time.
"The court urges the parties once again to do everything necessary to reach an agreement and end the conflict in a peaceable manner," Arad said.
The Treasury and the Histadrut Labor Federation extended the deadline for the conclusion of negotiations four times throughout the night Wednesday. Officials have indicated that real progress has been made in the talks.
The High Court of Justice refused on
Tuesday to intervene in the Labor Court’s decision that the strike could
go
ahead. The Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce had petitioned the
High
Court, arguing that the strike would cause extensive damage to the
economy and
that it was not legitimate because its aim was to change employment
practices,
not protect workers’ rights.
In rejecting the petition, the High Court
ordered the parties to attend a National Labor Court hearing for further
discussion.
The open-ended general strike began on Wednesday at 6 a.m.,
after all-night negotiations between Eini and Steinitz ended without an
agreement on the employment status of contract workers, who do not receive
tenure or benefits.
Eini is asking to allow for the partial transfer of cleaning
workers to direct employment, transfer of contract workers whose jobs mirror
directly employed workers to direct employment, and granting full workers rights
to those who remain as contract workers.
According to a Finance Ministry
statement, Steinitz offered to provide hundreds of millions of shekels to
improve the work conditions of contract workers. The statement added that the
Histadrut was insisting on an “unnecessary strike” that would cost the economy
billions of shekels.
Banks, government ministries and railway depots were
left shuttered on Wednesday, and air traffic was grounded at Ben-Gurion Airport
until the early afternoon.
Wednesday was a normal work day for contract
workers, who are not part of the Histadrut.
Nadav Shemer and Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.