Frustrated workers turn to Livni
Photo: Shahar Azran
Diplomats: Foreign Ministry heading for collapse
Employees at Diplomatic Division furious over what they see as questionable appointments, preparing to declare labor dispute
Angry diplomats preparing for fight: The Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Division employees are preparing to declare a labor dispute over what they claim is favoritism in making new appointments.
The labor dispute will comprise 400 employees, including about 200 Foreign Ministry workers currently employed at Israeli missions abroad.
The immediate cause that prompted the planned action is the appointment of a new division head. The workers claim that the figure selected for the post, Eran Etzion, is much less qualified than other candidates and say that the latest appointment is the latest in a serious of questionable decisions.
'Recent moves created anarchy'
The employees sent a document to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni earlier this week that bemoaned the "ongoing contempt and harm to Foreign Ministry employees."
"The method by which the Ministry is managed is leading the entire organization to a situation of organizational collapse," the letter said.
Employee representative Hanan Goder, who heads the division workers' union, told Ynet that "it is impossible that talented workers feel that their professional background and prolific careers are not taken into account."
"The recent moves created anarchy at the Foreign Ministry and were also accompanied by the failure to hire new cadets," he said. "All of this leads to the collapse of the State of Israel's ability in the area of foreign policy."
