Secondary School Teachers Association representatives will meet on Sunday with Finance Ministry officials to negotiate an end to the ongoing strike in secondary schools. Education Minister Yuli Tamir said the two sides had made progress in recent negotiations and were close to reaching an agreement. Association head Ron Erez said the sides should be able to reach an agreement within a week.
The strike has gone on for 40 days, making it the longest high school teachers’ strike in Israel’s history. Parents have threatened to strike all schools if a deal is not reached by Chanukah.
Teachers protested on Saturday night near Ben Gurion Airport, where Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his staff were to fly to the United States for the Annapolis conference. Teachers said they would follow the delegation to the conference and would protest Olmert’s refusal to intervene in the strike.