The Histadrut labor federation has declared a labor dispute with the Israeli aviation industry that could lead to airport closures.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a severe employment crisis in the industry, and airlines, which have already laid off thousands of workers and sent many more on unpaid leave, are now seeking additional mass layoffs, the Histadrut said Monday.
Declaring a dispute means the Histadrut can begin imposing sanctions after two weeks, which would likely include strikes and disrupted flight schedules. That would create even more inconvenience for travelers who already suffer from constantly changing coronavirus regulations.
A protest of about 100 El Al employees briefly delayed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s flight to Washington on Tuesday ahead of his long-awaited meeting with US President Joe Biden.
עשרות עובדי אל על הפגינו סמוך למטוסו של רה"מ בנט, טרם המראתו לוושינגטון, במחאה על מצב ענף התעופה@gilicohen10 @sharonidan(צילום: ועד עובדי אל על) pic.twitter.com/Hu7ahkIW4f
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El Al, Israir and Arkia are planning to lay off additional employees, extend unpaid leave for many and change the terms of workers’ contracts, the Histadrut said. There is also concern that the airlines may close certain departments and outsource work in an effort to cut costs, it said.
The Histadrut said its Transport Workers’ Union has worked throughout the crisis to produce professional and creative solutions to preserve the livelihoods of thousands of workers.
El Al laid off some 2,000 workers earlier this year as part of a government bailout program designed to streamline the flagship carrier’s operations.
“I deal with the crisis in the aviation industry from morning to night,” Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David said. “Unfortunately, it seems there are those who do not recognize the importance of this industry, not only for employment and the Israeli economy, but for the State of Israel in many other respects.
“The Histadrut mobilized to save and rehabilitate the aviation industry, with the outbreak of the crisis, through unprecedented recovery and efficiency agreements we signed with the companies and financial assistance that we transferred to them. But this does not mean this allows them to carry out mass layoffs and violate workers’ rights every Monday and Thursday as a quick and easy solution for companies. We will not allow that.”
Israel’s airlines are suffering tremendously during the pandemic. El Al lost $531 million in 2020 and saw revenues drop more than 70% due to canceled flights. The government has spent nearly NIS 750m. to bail out El Al and Israir from the damage of months of canceled flights and airport closures.
Further closures or cancellations will dig those holes even deeper, and the country’s aviation industry is in danger of “collapse,” the heads of airlines have warned.