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Minimum wage update postponed to July 2008
Knesset's Welfare Committee carries government amendment to Arrangements Act, defers wage update to mid 2008. Motion carried eight to five
Zvi Lavi
The Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee approved Tuesday the government's Arrangements Act amendment, proposing to postpone the minimum wage updates to July 2008.
The motion was carried with eight in favor and five against.
MK Ran Cohen (Meretz-Yahad), who voted against the deferral, told the committee those against the motion will make sure to reverse the decision in the coming Knesset plenum, adding that postponing the wage update is a breach of the promise made to the public.
MK Yitzhak Galantee (Pensioners Party), who heads the committee, was reportedly pressured by the coalition into moving up the vote on the motion, leaving the committee members unaware they would be voting on it, right until the meeting began.
Faced with the unexpected timing of the vote, MK Amir Peretz (Labor), who headed the motion's opposition, was unable to rally enough support from within the coalition.
According to the Finance Ministry, deferring the update will free up some $30 million, needed for the teachers' salaries ($18.3 million), government workers salaries ($4.13 million), social services ($5.9 million) and health care ($388,000).
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