The head of the Histadrut national labor union, Ofer Eini, met on Sunday night with Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson and Interior Minister Ronnie Bar-On in negotiations to prevent a threatened nationwide public sector strike.
Addressing the central issue behind the threatened strike, the ministers promised Eini that local authorities would pay any unpaid salaries by Tuesday. However, Histadrut officials said that a strike planned for Wednesday might still take place.
On Monday morning, Eini gave his impression of the negotiations thus far: "To my sorrow, I do not see any progress. If salaries are not paid by Tuesday, there will be a general strike at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning." Eini further said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must keep his promise of three weeks ago that public service workers will receive their due wages, which have not been paid for up to three months.
In the Sunday night negotiations, Ministers Hirschson and Bar-On promised that all but 600 of 5,500 withheld municipal salaries would be paid by Tuesday. The Finance Minister also committed to pay the back wages of municipal religious council employees within the next two days.
Histadrut officials explained that, in any event, they would not call off the strike completely until back wages are actually delivered to the employees.
Negotiations between the Histadrut and the government are slated to continue through Tuesday.
At the end of last month, a general strike over the unpaid municipal wages was averted when Eini and Prime Minister Olmert agreed upon a series of steps Olmert would personally take to resolve the issue. As part of the negotiated postponement of the strike, Olmert sent a letter to the Labor Court in which he wrote, "Withholding employee payment is an improper norm, which must be rejected while taking steps against employers who do not pay their employees' salaries on time." In addition to the declarative letter to the Labor Court, Olmert brought the issue of the withheld municipal wages before the entire government at a recent cabinet meeting.
Addressing the central issue behind the threatened strike, the ministers promised Eini that local authorities would pay any unpaid salaries by Tuesday. However, Histadrut officials said that a strike planned for Wednesday might still take place.
On Monday morning, Eini gave his impression of the negotiations thus far: "To my sorrow, I do not see any progress. If salaries are not paid by Tuesday, there will be a general strike at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning." Eini further said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must keep his promise of three weeks ago that public service workers will receive their due wages, which have not been paid for up to three months.
In the Sunday night negotiations, Ministers Hirschson and Bar-On promised that all but 600 of 5,500 withheld municipal salaries would be paid by Tuesday. The Finance Minister also committed to pay the back wages of municipal religious council employees within the next two days.
Histadrut officials explained that, in any event, they would not call off the strike completely until back wages are actually delivered to the employees.
Negotiations between the Histadrut and the government are slated to continue through Tuesday.
At the end of last month, a general strike over the unpaid municipal wages was averted when Eini and Prime Minister Olmert agreed upon a series of steps Olmert would personally take to resolve the issue. As part of the negotiated postponement of the strike, Olmert sent a letter to the Labor Court in which he wrote, "Withholding employee payment is an improper norm, which must be rejected while taking steps against employers who do not pay their employees' salaries on time." In addition to the declarative letter to the Labor Court, Olmert brought the issue of the withheld municipal wages before the entire government at a recent cabinet meeting.