Youngsters celebrate Lag Baomer
צילום: מאיר אזולאי
Firefighter strike cause for alarm
Heated salary dispute prompts firefighters to threaten to strike on Lag Baomer, when tens of thousands of youngsters expected to light bonfires
TEL AVIV - Dozens of firefighters, blazing mad about a salary dispute, have threatened to go on strike during the Lag Baomer holiday this week, sparking concern for the safety of tens of thousands of Israeli youngsters who are expected to camp out and light bonfires, officials said on Wednesday.
The Histadrut Labor Union said local municipalities owed about 90 firefighters funds from April and it was unclear if they would receive their salaries for the month of May.
Firefighter Union chief Haim Barda said the authorities owed the workers about NIS 4.5 million, and requests made to the Interior Ministry to transfer the funds from the municipalities to the union had gone unanswered.
About 60 firefighters have already left their stations in the towns of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi and Sderot.
Many stations will not operate or be on standby status during the holiday, which starts on Thursday night.
One union official Itzik Ben-Abo said Ashkelon firefighters would answer calls, but to expect delays.
“If it normally takes two minutes for firefighters to reach a scene in Kiryat Gat, tomorrow it’ll take 20 minutes,” he said.
