Ben Gurion Airport
Ben Gurion AirportFlash 90

Workers at Ben Gurion Airport are gearing up for another strike – this time on their own behalf. Unions representing workers on Sunday held an emergency meeting, which union officials said was a prelude to declaring a work action – a required step before calling a strike.

Several weeks ago, workers went on a partial strike in support of postal workers, who are protesting an efficiency program that is likely to see 600 of their workers fired or retired. The new strike is strictly between the government and airport workers.

At issue is the Treasury's plan to require the Airports Authority to come up with NIS 700 million ($185 million) in order to close holes in the 2015 state budget. According to unions, Finance Minister Yair Lapid included that fundraising device in the budget without even discussing it with workers or the Airports Authority.

Since the fees and taxes that travelers have to pay at Ben Gurion Airport are set by the government, workers fear that the royalty fees will be coming out of their salary or benefits.A final meeting to decide the nature of work actions – and if, or when, a strike will take place – is set for Tuesday.

A strike, if it does take place, will only occur after the holiday season in two weeks, officials said.

According to Pinchas Idan, head of the workers' union, “the Finance Ministry apparently believes that the government is a 'business' which is supposed to make a 'profit,' and that is not the case. By taking an additional NIS 700 million from the Airports Authority, they are harming citizens, as well as workers.”