Histadrut signs new groundbreaking agreement for Firefighters
August 2010
The Histadrut and the Israeli Professional Firefighters' Organisation signed an agreement on July 29 with the Israel Fire and Rescue Services, the local authority, and the Finance Ministry, to regulate the employment conditions of firefighters.
The firefighters demands were:
- an employment framework for 24 hour shifts and 48-72 hours of rest for firefighters;
- paid overtime, additional shifts and a unique pay increase, including a higher wage for new firefighters than is customary for an employee on the same scale in the civil service;
- a second promotion for long service firefighters who will also be given a fixed wage increase of 10%.
The Chairman of the Trade Union Department, Avi Nissenkorn said: “This agreement illustrates the ability of all parties to reach an agreement that allows the regulation of a unique form of employment through creating unique solutions befitting the value of the employees. The agreement reflects the importance of this sector.”
Chairman of the Union of Clerks, Administrative Public Service Employees, Arnon Bar-David said that: “six years of negotiations on the future of fire fighting in the State of Israel ended today. We begin a new path. The agreement enables the absorption of new firefighters into the fire fighting array and gives an impetus to the service and the quality of service".
The Chairman of the Israeli Professional Firefighters’ Organisation, Yoav Gadasi said: “This is an historic agreement which protects the employment conditions of firefighters. I thank the Histadrut and all the parties involved in the negotiations that together they reached an agreement befitting the firefighters.”