Judge Nili Arad
Judge Nili AradIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The National Labor Court on Tuesday upheld an injunction that prohibits the Histadrut national labor union from launching a general strike as part of their struggle on behalf of contract workers.

Court President Judge Nili Arad ruled that intense negotiations between the Histadrut and the Treasury must take place over the next three weeks under the auspices of the National Labor Court.

At the end of that period, which ends on January 31, the Histadrut will be allowed to call a strike, provided that it gives at least one week’s notice and gives employers time to appeal to the Court for a new injunction.

The Histadrut tried to launch a general strike in November, when it couldn’t reach agreements with the State regarding conditions for workers contracted by manpower services, a method employers often use to avoid paying benefits and higher wages.

The National Labor Court issued an injunction that stopped that strike after several hours.

The contract workers have reported that they have minimum social rights, a low income and they are required to do tasks that are not in their job descriptions.