Israel paralysed by day-long general strike
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thursday March 22, 12:50 AM
*Israel paralysed by day-long general strike*
Israel's powerful labour union on Wednesday staged an eight-hour strike
that paralysed much of the country's essential services until a deal was
hammered out to end a wages crisis.
"The strike is over and all the workers can return to work normally,"
Histadrut labour federation chairman Ofer Eini said after signing an
agreement with the government.
Around 400,000 public workers went on strike at 9 am (0700 GMT) after
all-night reconciliation efforts between the government and Histadrut
failed to resolve the row.
"We decided that the non-payment of wages to public servants must cease
once and for all," Eini told public radio.
After day-long talks a deal was struck under which the government will
transfer salaries by Thursday morning to most of the 3,700 employees in
more than 50 local and religious councils who have gone without pay for
months.
"All the salaries will be paid by today or tomorrow. We will also
sanction mayors" who fail to pay the wages, Eini told reporters.
"I am sorry we had to use the weapon of a strike, but I am glad to
announce to the local council workers that their salaries will be paid,"
he told army radio.
All government ministries except for defence shut their doors and
stopped answering telephones.
The country's border crossings also closed as trains, planes and ports
ceased operating. Rubbish removal stopped and school buses ground to a halt.
Some also feared the strike would disrupt the nation's water supply as
the water authority scaled back operations to a minimum, the Yediot
Aharanot newspaper reported.
Hospitals, security services and public radio and television worked as
usual, however, along with banks and the stock exchange.
Around 50,000 travellers were herded through Israel's Ben Gurion
international airport near Tel Aviv on Tuesday night as airlines tried
to get them in and out of the country before the strike was due to start.
Despite the union action, the plane carrying the England football team
heading for Israel for a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier was allowed to land
at Ben Gurion on Wednesday, an airport authority spokesman told AFP.
Eini said he didn't want to spoil the fun or Israel's chances of
advancing by forcing Saturday's match to be cancelled.
Aircraft flying 5,000 English football fans to Israel to cheer on their
team during the crucial fixture were also allowed to land.
Tel Aviv bar owners eagerly awaiting a boost in sales to hard-drinking
English football fans breathed a collective sigh of relief, Israeli
television reported.
It had been feared the airport shutdown would hurt Israeli tourism ahead
of the Passover holiday starting on April 2, when tens of thousands of
Jews travel to Israel from around the world to commemorate the biblical
exodus from Egypt.
Last month, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert averted another threatened strike
by the Histradut union after he pledged to resolve the unpaid wages
crisis, but it remained unresolved until Wednesday's deal.