On the background of the Gur Hasidim boycott of the Phenicia Glass Works plant in Yeruham and the danger of the mass layoffs in the factory, MK Yair Lapid, together with MKs Meir Cohen and Penina Tamanu set out for an emergency tour of the plant.
Lapid, Cohen, and Tamanu met with the CEO of the plant Amnon Cohen, who briefed them on the situation.
Lapid said: "There's a serious threat to the whole industry in the south, first, Negev Ceramics closed, Amelia Cosmetic is in danger, and now Phenicia's in danger of being closed. Only because of one extreme hassidut that begins to lead a boycott against the products because it's impossible to close the glass oven here on Shabbat, it's not like a stove in the house, it takes two weeks to shut this oven down.
"There are 240 workers here, most of them wearing skullcaps, and traditional. There's an attempt here to impose religious coercion that will cause the dismissal of workers and the closure of a factory in Israel. In an area that is already suffering from the hardships of employment and industry, we mustn't allow this to happen. If we continue on this path, it'll also end with a public boycott against secular consumer boycotts. What do we need this for? This oven has been running since the 1930s, there is no reason to shut down the plant because of a consumer boycott."