Labor Court orders B-G Airport personnel back to work
Judge instructs airport workers' union to resume operation of all airport facilities, lift threat of strike after wage talks between union, Israel Airports Authority fail. Sides ordered to continue negotiations
The Labor Court ordered the Israel Airports Authority workers to cease their go-slow and resume normal operation of the airport facilities by 11am.
The Union resumed its go-slow at the Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday morning, after nightly wage negotiations between union representatives and those of the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) proved futile.
Sixteen flights were delayed by 8 am, and the following departures are also being postponed. Some flights left 45 minutes after the scheduled time, while others for forced to wait up to an hour and a half.
The court further ordered the union and the Israel Airports Authority to resume negotiations and report their progress to the court.
The workers staged a partial go-slow on Sunday afternoon, resulting in five flights departing later then scheduled, and serious delays at baggage claim.
"We are not staging a strike at this time, we just had some meetings," a source at the workers' union told Ynet. "There might be a few more delays, but we are working by the book." The union has scheduled several more member meetings for later in the day.
Delays at Ben-Gurion Airport (Archives photo: Amnon Cohen)
The renewed go-slow came just several hours after the union asked its members to resume normal operations. The union, which is demanding additional pay for the maintenance and porter crews, as well as tenure for some 200 temporary airport employees, claims that the IAA has not implemented previous agreements signed with its members.
The Airports Authority claims that the union has presented new wage demands, and that the go-slow is the result of the management's refusal. The IAA further claims it has credible information suggesting the union intends on halting all operations in the Ben Gurion Airport, hence its plan to petition for an injunction.
Among the baffled passengers at the arrivals terminal at the airport on Sunday, was senior advisor to President Shimon Peres, Yoram Dori.
"I've been waiting for my luggage for more than an hour," he told Ynet. "They announced there would be delays, but than the said everything was fine – either way, we have eight baggage conveyors and a lot of people waiting, but no luggage."
When asked about the passengers' mood in view of the delays, Dori shrugged and said that "some people just gave up and went home without their bags. After a 10 or 12 hour flight, no one has the energy to get mad."
Yael Levy and Vered Luvitchcontributed to this report
