The coalition talks between Kadima and the Labor Party resumed Monday morning, in light of the contradictory media reports over the disagreements on the minimum wage issue.
In spite of the smiles and the good atmosphere, a senior member of Kadima's negotiations team said that there were bitter disagreements over the minimum wage issue.
"We won’t be able to accept the proposal to raise it by NIS 500 during the fall," the official clarified.
Labor's demand to raise the minimum wage by NIS 500 would cost the State budget NIS 1.7 billion," the Kadima source said, adding that there is an agreement to build a social-economic council including representatives of the workers, the employers and the government, which will discuss all the issues.
It appears that the basic guidelines will mention that the government will see NIS 4,600 as the minimum wage objective.
The same source estimated that an agreed upon draft will be ready by Tuesday.
At the start of the meeting, Attorney Yoram Turbowicz, who is expected to be appointed as head of staff in Ehud Olmert's office, said that the different parties' demands were worrying.
"When I look at the entire stack of demands by this party and that party, we are worried, because none of us have a mandate to breach, and on this issue we must maintain it and see how we maintain it in actual fact," Turbowicz said.
He added that the basic guidelines draft has already been presented to the Labor Party and estimated that "we will be able to make progress" after Monday's talks.
As for the disputes on the social-economic issues, Turbowicz stressed that "we agreed to maintain the borders of the budget, fanatically and strictly."
Referring to the minimum wage issue, Turbowicz added: "We also included (in the draft) the minimum wage issue, as well as complementary steps which will make the minimum wage issue more effective."
At the end of the meeting, Prof. David Libai, chairman of the Labor Party's negotiations team, said that the parties were in disagreement over a number of clauses only in the political and social-economic areas, but that they have reached an agreement on most of the draft's clauses.
He added that the teams authorized the chairmen to begin drafting the final document of the basic guidelines.
'Real gap between demands and reality'
Sources at Kadima's negotiations team told Ynet Sunday night that contrary to Labor's demand to add NIS 500 (about USD 106) to the minimum wage by September and continue to raise it in two additional steps, Kadima is only ready for a raise of NIS 250 (about USD 53) during the year and will examine the issue next year.
"We must serve as 'concrete' on the minimum wage issue and Shas' children pensions," a source at Kadima's negotiations team said. "There is a real gap between the demands and reality, and they will have to settle for different sums and open their eyes."
Meanwhile, Labor officials said that the parties would be able to reach understandings on the minimum wage issue.
"There are still ends that have to be settled, on the pension issue, the human resource companies and the 'medicine basket,'" a party official said.
As for the political issue, Labor officials stressed that they would demand to evacuate the illegal outposts according to the Sasson Report. In addition, Labor demands to receive clarifications on Olmert's victory speech, on which the new government's basic guidelines are based.
First published: 10:47, 04.17.6