Turkish PM Erdogan
Photo: AFP
Workers' unions demand apology from Turkish PM
Some 2,000 workers unions announce they will not purchase vacation packages to Turkish clubs this Passover holiday until Turkish government issues official apology for its verbal attacks on Israel
Only if the Turkish prime minister apologizes formally for his verbal attacks on the State of Israel, some 2,000 workers' unions will lift their boycott against Turkey and may purchase vacation packages to the country. The decision was made during a tourism trade fair held in Tel Aviv over the weekend.
If no apology is received, announced the union leaders, vacations to Turkey will not be an option during the upcoming Passover holiday.
Last Friday, the Turks published their official 2009 tourism figures. Their data showed a 44% drop in the number of Israelis entering the country, with 322,000 Israeli vacationers in 2009 versus 558,000 in 2008. Overall, some 27 million tourists entered the country in 2009, a 3% increase over 2008 figures.
Vaadim CEO Yakov Alush said over the weekend that since the declaration of the boycott in October 2009, the realm of workers' unions participating in the boycott reached some 98% of all unions in Israel.
Among the organizations participating in the boycott are Bank Leumi, Israel Electric Company, Egged, El-Al, the Prime Minister's Office, and others.
