Israeli court to convene over the Histadrut’s plans to renew general strike

A Labour Court in Israel is to consider the Histadrut’s request to renew its general strike over the employment status of contract workers.

The national Labour court originally ordered negotiations between the Histadrut, the Treasury and local government officials after the Histadrut held a four-hour strike on 7 November.  But after more than a month of negotiations, no agreement has been reached.   

The Chairman of the Histadrut, Ofer Enin, has compared the employment of contract workers to slavery, and accused the Government of not even knowing how many contract workers it employs.   

Israeli doctors and Finance Ministry sign deal to end health system crisis

Medical residents and the Israeli Finance Ministry signed an agreement on 8 December, bringing to an end a long-running dispute which has brought Israel's medical system to crisis point.

According to the agreement, every resident will get a grant of £10,000 in two stages, and young resident doctors will get paid more for evening and night shifts.  Residents who work on weekends will also receive a weekly day off.

The strikes, which have been going on since July, have intermittently forced hospitals to close outpatient clinics and operate under Sabbath conditions - only performing emergency surgeries.

Company in Israel cuts prices, freezes executive pay and gives pay rises to the lowest paid workers

The Strauss Group in Israel announced a number of changes recently in response to the social protests across Israel over the summer.  The changes include lowering prices on 36 products, a wage freeze for 25 senior executives and pay increasesfor its lowest paid workers.

The company will also give some 200 contract workers permanent status and grant 100 higher education scholarships a year to employees' children.

Strauss Israel has over 6,000 employees and the company intends to cut the number of outsourced and contract workers. Employees earning the minimum wage will also see a 3-5% pay rise in January.

Strauss said the total cost of these steps would be over £6 million a year - £2 million for the employees’ benefits and the rest to meet the annual cost of reducing prices.

The Fire Brigades Union builds bridges with the Histadrut and the Nablus Municipality Fire Department

It has been reported that the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) helped the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in the UK with a project to deliver humanitarian aid to the Nablus Municipality Fire Department.   Speaking at a meeting in Parliament this week, Jim Malone, the FBU’s regional organiser in Scotland, said:

“When the Histadrut discovered the Israeli authorities were delaying the progress of the humanitarian aid from Haifa to Nablus, it offered its full support. Avital Shapira, head of Histadrut international relations, mobilised the union’s resources and liaised directly with the port authorities. And this week the humanitarian equipment was released.”

Writing about this new development on the Left Foot Forward website, Professor Alan Johnson said: “This is what solidarity could look like if we would only dump the talk of ‘derecognition’ and boycott. What is good for the Palestinian workers is the critical but constructive use of the historic links between the Israeli and UK unions, not their destruction for the sake of making a gesture”.

Middle East Quartet calls for direct negotiations

Representatives of the Middle East Quartet held meetings in Jerusalem on Wednesday (14 December) in an effort to restart peace talks between Israel and Palestine. It marked the third round of indirect talks since September.

Following the meeting, the Quartet envoys called on both parties to resume direct talks “without delay or preconditions.”  But the Palestinians continue to make a return to peace talks contingent on a complete freeze of settlement construction and on Israel’s return to the 1949 armistice lines.  

In related news, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat revealed on 3 November the full extent of Israel’s offer of peace in 2008, which included territorial concession equivalent to the entire West Bank, the return of thousands of Palestinian refugees into the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the division of Jerusalem.  In an interview with the Arabic radio station As-Shams, Saeb Erekat also confirmed that, based on an aerial photograph provided by European sources, Israeli settlements cover 1.1 percent of the West Bank.

Israeli government announces zero tolerance approach to extremist settler attacks on soldiers and religious sites

On Tuesday (13 November) 50 settlers and right wing activists threw rocks at Israeli soldiers and Palestinians and vandalised military vehicles at a West Bank military base.  And on Monday night (12 December) a group of settlers occupied an abandoned church on the border with Jordan, which is believed to be the site of Jesus’ baptism.

The attacks were met with severe criticism from the Israeli government. Defence minister Ehud Barak asserted that they “bear characteristics of terrorism and are unacceptable.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved preventive legislation such as administrative detention orders and military trials for Israelis.

In a significant move, Israeli soldiers have also been granted the authority to carry out arrests of Israelis in the West Bank, which will equalise the treatment of settlers with Palestinian offenders in violent cases.  Another possible punitive measure being considered is eviction from settlements.

Israel’s high tech sector continues to thrive and gain global recognition as a new memory saving Smartphone application is launched

Tel Aviv based company Onavo has developed a free smartphone application that shrinks phone data to help users save money. BBC online reported on the growing success of Israel’s technology industry on 22 November. It revealed that Israel has almost 4,000 technology start-up companies, more than any other country outside the US.

Israel’s gay community to launch progressive new faction within the Labor party

It was announced on 24 November that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Israel are to launch a new faction within the Labor party. The group seeks to advance the community’s rights and widen support for the Labor party.

'High steaks' battle brews at Ashdod Port

Workers at Ashdod Port, Israel’s largest port, disrupted work on 16 November.

The disruption was called due to the potential axe of the workers’ "steak incentive," a bonus of good quality beef given to especially productive employees.  

The "steak coupons" are said to have cost the port £100,000 in 2008, £600,000 in 2010 and the estimate for 2013 is over £1 million. 

The Port Comptroller claimed that the original “steak bonus” accord was signed unlawfully by the port's CEO Yehoshua "Shuki" Sagis, without the approval of the board of directors or the Government Companies Authority. 

The dispute continues.