Chaos in education system as surprise school strike cut short
Judge determines strike at kindergartens, primary and middle schools will end at 9am instead of 11am, leaving many parents in a bind after not knowing whether to send their children to school or stay home with them.
However, because the decision was made after 8am, chaos ensued in the education system, with many parents in a bind after not knowing whether to send their children to school or stay at home with them.
The Israel Teachers' Union announced the surprise strike on Monday over growing concerns that several teachers and education professionals have yet to be paid in full.
The Finance and Education ministries petitioned the labor court on Monday night, asking it to issue an injunction to the strike.
The labor court held a hearing regarding the petition on Tuesday morning, which began after the beginning of the school day at 8am.
Minutes into the hearing, Judge Irit Hermel suggested that an agreement is reached for the day so the strike can be avoided while the sides continue talks.
"Let the children and teachers begin their school day and we'll keep discussing this here," Judge Hermel said.
Benny Cohen, the attorney who represents the Teachers' Union, rejected the proposal. "We won't cancel (the strike) unless the court decides to cancel it. Educators are entitled to protest on the issue," Cohen said.
The sides the held a closed discussion with the judge in an effort to reach understandings, but were unsuccessful, leading the judges to accept a proposal from a parents' union to end the strike at 9am.
Teachers' Union head Yaffa Ben David and other representatives of the union met with Finance Ministry director-general Shai Babad, Education Ministry director-general Michal Cohen and other government officials on Sunday to discuss salary conditions.
Specifically, Ben David demanded the cancellation of an expected retroactive cut made to teachers who were accidentally overpaid due to a conversion error. She also insisted that education professionals who had paid out of their own pocket for their transportation be reimbursed, in opposition to the planned cut in transportation reimbursement.
Ben David stated that "The Israeli government should be ashamed of itself that education professionals are not paid their salary in full. Harming the salaries of education professionals in the amounts of thousands of shekels due to a supposed error is unacceptable."
"The Education Ministry's accountants' claim of encountering a computing glitch is unacceptable. An education professional has just as much a right to receive their full salary and guarantee their dignified existence as any citizen who sends their children every day to school," added Ben David.
The Teachers' Union issued a statement, as well. "Thousands of education professionals have been severely hurt by the Education Ministry's deficient implementation of salary conversion under the 'New Horizon' reform, as well as the deficient implementation of agreements between the Histadrut (general workers' union—ed)," the statement read.
It went on to say that the ministries "certainly should not reduce the education professionals' salaries or reimbursement for transportations expenses without first having a dialogue about this with the Teachers' Union."
