Strike will ground charter flights

Workers refuse to do safety checks on aircraft.

By NATHAN BURSTEIN
Israel Civil Aviation Administration workers are set to strike starting Monday, which is expected to cause limited disruption of air traffic. Negotiations over the proposed restructuring of the organization failed late last week, and over the weekend the union decided to call the strike. The work stoppage will affect charters and other flights that are not part of the regular schedule. ICAA employees will also stop administering exams for student pilots and technicians seeking to begin working in the field. In addition, ICAA workers will not perform annual safety checks on aircraft, preventing the planes in question from receiving clearance to fly. An ICAA official said Sunday he didn't know how many flights or aircraft would be affected by the strike, and that the ICAA hoped to restart talks with workers this week. A workers' representative said there was no timeline for resuming negotiations, or for escalating the labor sanctions. Workers had originally threatened to strike in late May over reforms affecting wages and job security, but postponed the work stoppage at the behest of the Transportation Ministry, which pushed both workers and the ICAA management to continue negotiations.