Labor dispute declared in dozens of youth villages across the country

Tamar Trabelsi-Hadad|
A labor dispute has been declared in youth villages of the settlement education system throughout the country. Workers will be able to strike starting December 31 in protest of not receiving salary increases. Representatives of youth village committees met with representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education to demand the implementation of the framework agreement and salary increases, but were refused. Nir Alon, head of the youth villages division in the Histadrut's Maof union, said that "the most dedicated workers, who receive meager wages, need to beg for a salary increase. We also expect the Minister of Education to intervene." The labor dispute concerns 23 youth villages belonging to the Administration for Settlement Education, spread nationwide. It involves about 3,000 workers and approximately 13,000 students.