Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Photo: Dudi Vaakknin
Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini
Photo: Yaron Brener
General strike called off
Histadrut cancels public sector strike following chairman’s meeting with prime minister
A public sector strike set to begin Wednesday has been cancelled following a meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini.
In the meeting, Olmert pledged to find a solution for the withheld wages of some 1,700 workers at 30 local councils across the country. These wages have not been paid because funds transferred by the government for salaries have gone to pay the local councils’ debts instead.
During the meeting, Olmert presented Eini with a letter stating his intentions on how to deal with the crisis. The issue will be discussed by the cabinet on Sunday.
“Withholding the workers’ wages is wrong, and should be denounced by taking steps against employers who do not pay their workers’ salaries on time,” Olmert wrote.
The letter also stated Olmert’s intention to monitor the situation personally in order to identify potential problems ahead of time so that he would not have to get involved in the issue again.
Three months ago a general strike over the same issue was halted by the National Labor Court after just one day, but legal experts said the court would not prevent another strike due to the government’s failure to resolve the issue.
Tani Goldstein contributed to this article
