Ben-Gurion workers may strike Thursday over pensions

Israel Aviation Authority workers union announces strike likely, freezing all activity at Israel's airports.

By RON FRIEDMAN
311_airplane (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
311_airplane
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The Israel Aviation Authority workers union announced on Tuesday that they would be holding a general strike starting Thursday morning, freezing all activity at Israel’s airports.
The workers are in a dispute with management over the establishment of a central severance fund to guarantee employees’ pensions.
Two weeks ago the union held a general employee meeting during work hours in order to disrupt operations and raise awareness of their cause, but the intervention of Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz prevented further disruptions at the time.
On Tuesday morning workers and Histadrut representatives held a meeting with Israel Aviation Authority officials, but the discussion failed to satisfy the workers and they announced the strike.
“We will not stand by and see workers’ money put at risk.
We have been trying to reach an agreement for two years, but the authority’s management keeps on dragging its feet and jeopardizing the workers’ pension funds,” said workers representative Pinchas Idan.
“We demand that the issue of the pensions be resolved and that their money be protected and earmarked exclusively for the purpose of pension payments and will do everything in our power to assure it. I hope that the IAA management and the Finance Ministry will find an appropriate solution in the next two days so that the passenger public is not harmed.”
The IAA said in response that “IAA management understand the concerns of the workers to ensure their pensions and is doing everything in its power to resolve the issue. At the same time, management asks the union to avoid taking measures that will disrupt operations at Ben-Gurion Airport and allow negotiations to take their course.”