Strike cancelled as deal reached on bonuses

Strike would have stopped trash collection, parking inspectors, construction planning and school administrators from working in 256 local authorities.

By NIV ELIS
Updated: FEBRUARY 10, 2016 00:17
Histadrut protest [File] (photo credit: Courtesy)
Histadrut protest [File]
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The local authorities strike scheduled for Wednesday is off, following a Tuesday agreement for the Finance Ministry to pay 100,000 local workers bonuses.
The strike, which would have stopped trash collection, parking inspectors, construction planning and school administrators from working in 256 local authorities, was the latest in a series of Histadrut strike threats that produced an agreement before a single worker stayed home.
“The Histadrut once again proved that it’s possible to reach a deal without a strike starting,” said Histadrut chairman Avi Nissenkorn, who promised to continue acting “responsibly” further down the line.
The particular dispute resolved Tuesday revolved around a previous public sector wage agreement that included one-time bonuses for local workers.
The Histadrut said that the Treasury had reneged on the promise, which was supposed to have been fulfilled in January.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon made an unusual visit to the Histadrut’s leadership meeting, a move the Histadrut called “historic.”
“When we talk about reducing social gaps and fixing problems that have been common here for years, I see the Histadrut and its leaders allies, and not adversaries as was common in the past,” Kahlon told the group.
Nissenkorn praised Kahlon for coming to terms with previous demands to raise minimum wages and public sector wages.
“The Finance Ministry has adopted a policy of striving for a healthy and competitive economy, but one in which the working man can still make an honorable living,” he said.


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