Eini to continue on as Labor Federation head

Incumbent Histadrut chairman receives 66.5% of votes leaving Eitan Cabel with 33.4%

Attila Somfalvi|Published: 05.24.12 , 13:14

Ofer Eini has been elected chairman of the Histadrut Labor Federation in what will be his a second term in office, a tally of 175,000 votes (out of a total of 200,000) indicates. The count shows that Eini won 66.5% of the votes and MK Eitan Cabel just 33.5%.

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Cabel told Ynet radio, "My achievement is impressive under the circumstances. Eini spent more than NIS 30 million ($7.85 million) on the campaign compared to my NIS 2.5 million."

Nevertheless, Cabel said that the election results reflect a change in the balance of power in Israel's largest labor union. "A new era has begun," he said. "An era in which Ofer Eini needs to start counting backwards, because he'll never last on this job."

On Wednesday, Eini said: "I am moved by the level of support from the workers. The Labor Federation is the workers' iron dome and I pledge to defend organized labor. In the next few years we will focus on protecting pensions and bolstering workers unions."