Haifa Chemicals workers block major Tel Aviv junction in protest against mass layoff
The workers completely blocked traffic on the Azrieli Junction in Tel Aviv, causing chaotic scenes in protest of the current lack of solution for the mass layoffs due to take place following the closure of the Haifa ammonia tank.
Hundreds of Haifa Chemicals workers congregated at the Azrieli Junction in Tel Aviv Thursday afternoon, blocking the main interchange and bringing traffic to a complete standstill.
The workers are protesting the lack of a solution being put forth to prevent the laying off of about 1,500 company workers following a court order to close Haifa's ammonia tank amid concerns that poison contained within it constituted a serious threat to the residents in the area.
In a meeting held between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Environmental Protection Ze'ev Elkin and Minister of the Economy Eli Cohen, Netanyahu requested to delay the closure of the ammonia tank by several weeks.
The request was also addressed to several legal authorities who participated in the meeting, among them the Deputy Attorney General Erez Kaminitz, is an effort to find a way to prevent the mass layoff.
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
