Histadrut calls labor dispute at Elbit Systems

Labor federation claims defense contractor has taken unilateral measures that worsened the employment terms of hundreds of employees at its Land and C4I Division.

By YUVAL AZULAI
The Histadrut labor federation announced on Sunday that it intends to launch industrial action at Elbit Systems Ltd., claiming that the defense contractor has taken unilateral measures that worsened the employment terms of hundreds of employees at its Land and C4I Division.
The Histadrut also accuses the company of moving employees from its Holon plant to other plants as far away as Kiryat Shmona.
The announcement of a labor dispute followed weeks of negotiations between Histadrut Metal, Electrical, and Electronics Workers Union chairman Gabi Asraf and Elbit Systems EVP and Land and C4I General Manager Bezhalel Machlis. The Histadrut said on Sunday that the talks were deadlocked.
The Histadrut claims that Elbit Systems unilaterally cancelled an agreement that granted employees tenure after five years.
Asraf said, “Machlis unilaterally decided to violate collective agreements that he signed, and he retracted previously reached understandings. We intend to immediately stop this trend. This week, we will decide what industrial action to take against the company. I am calling on Elbit Systems president and CEO Joseph Ackerman to personally intervene to solve the crisis, so we won’t have to take possible industrial action.”
On Tuesday, the Histadrut will convene all Elbit Systems’ workers committees to update them on developments.
The Histadrut said that protests throughout the company, and not just at the Land and C4I Division, cannot be ruled out.