Education Minister Yuli Tamir ,Teacher's Association chairman Ran Erez and Histadrut Labor Federation Chairman Ofer Eini were all in attendance at the meeting, convened less than a day after thousands rallied in Tel Aviv in support of the association's struggle.
"The cat's out of the bag now," said Erez, "it's clear that despite all the media spins insisting that the reform plan was what was holding back the negotiations, the Finance Ministry is the one refusing to discuss the matter.
"They aren't genuinely interested in reforming the country's education; they're only willing to discuss the salary demands – and then as far as they're concerned, we can just go back to the overcrowded classrooms. But our struggle is not just for our salaries; we are here to agree on a comprehensive plan to reform the system. We've given up on the Treasury, only the intervention of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert can bring this crisis to an end."
Finance Ministry Director General Yoram Ariav said prior to the meeting that there was no question that teachers' salaries should be raised. "The only question is what are the teacher's offering in return. As important as wages are, the real matter at hand is how we can better the education system for students," he said.
At the Finance Ministry officials rejected the teachers' demands: "The government, as a sovereign authority, decides how the country should be run. When we pave a new stretch of road, we don't consult the laborers at the Public Works Authority on it first.
"It is impossible to run the nation while constantly conferring with workers' unions. Having said this, the government is listening to teachers' opinions on this matter. It's up to the teachers to decide whether they want to join this reform or not," they said.
Tani Goldstein contributed to this report