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Photo: Hagai Aharon
Erez. Eye-to-eye
Photo: Hagai Aharon
Tamir. Appeasing
Photo: Amit Shabi
Bar-On. Inappropriate weapon
Photo: Yoav Galai

Last-ditch effort to prevent teachers' strike fails

High School Teachers' Association rejects Education Ministry's compromise, declares 'unlimited strike' starting Wednesday

The Middle and High School Teachers' Association decided Tuesday to reject the compromised offered by Education Minister Yuli Tamir earlier in the day, in an attempt to avoid the teachers' strike, scheduled for Wednesday.

 

The teachers' association has declared a general, unlimited strike, covering all middle schools and high schools in the Jewish sector.

 

The teachers, said a statement by the organization, "are prepared to strike for weeks, even months if necessary."

 

Earlier Tuesday, Education Minister Yuli Tamir, Director of the Middle and High School Teachers' Association Ran Erez and several of the teachers' representatives met Tuesday in a last effort to avoid the strike.

 

'These things take time'

Tamir offered to start a five-month long negotiation process, meant to solidify the reform in the teachers' wages. The teachers were also offered a partial wage increase, pending their final wage agreement.

 

"We made the teachers several offers, in hopes of bridging the gaps between to two sides. We offered to start a thorough negotiating process, but these things take time," said Tamir.

 

"We're communicating and that's good, but we still don't see eye-to-eye on the issues," said Erez, adding that Tamir's offers will be brought before the teachers' association's board. As things stand now, said Erez, the teachers' strike will go ahead as scheduled.

 

Erez's Monday meeting with the Education Ministry's director-general and the ministry's head of teaching personnel ended with no real results.

 

Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On said Monday that since the Finance and Education Ministries have already come to a new wage agreement, no additional fund would be allocated to any settlement with the teachers.

 

Bar-On called on the teachers to call off the strike and accept the reform plan. "Using strikes as weapons is inappropriate because it harms the interests of the students," he said.

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.09.07, 13:33
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