Some religious council employees have not been paid in many months. Histadrut pressure led to the allocation of nine million shekels to pay the salaries, but the threat of a nationwide strike looms.
Following the disbanding of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 2003, the religious councils - which provide services such as marriage registration, burial, and mikvaot (ritual baths) - have been under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Bureau. Meir Shpiegler of the PM's Bureau announced yesterday that he would transfer a sum of nine million shekels to the councils immediately, to be used to pay part of the backlog on 700 workers' salaries.
Today, the dispute took a sharp turn for the worse, when the Histadrut asked the Labor Court to issue a restraining order against the Prime Minister's Bureau. The union accuses the PM's Bureau of hiring outside workers to perform burials in place of the striking religious-council workers in the town of Yehud.
The striking workers in Yehud have not received wages for seven months.
The chairman of the religious councils workers union, David Mishali, said that the decision to release nine million shekels is like "an aspirin to make us feel better for the holidays. It's been done before, but then after the holidays, everything goes back to normal and the problems return."
Shpiegler promised the funds - enough for an average of less than three months' salaray for each worker - at a Jerusalem Labor Court session on Tuesday. The session was initiated by the Histadrut Labor Union's demand for the money.
Atty. Roxanna Lamdan, representing the State, told the Court that the State has transferred its share of the money, but that the municipalities have failed to transfer the money to the religious councils. The State's consent to transfer the nine million shekels was accompanied by a warning that this would be the last time it would happen. "The State does not consider itself responsible for these employees," Lamdan said, as they are municipal workers.
Lamdan also said she views the matter as a dispute not as a labor matter, but rather as a dispute between the municipalities and the State. The two bodies have been wrangling for over two years as to which of them must fund the religious council workers' salaries, and at what rate.
Histadrut Chairman Ofei Eini provided justification for involving the Labor Court in the matter:
"My policy is to strike as little as possible, but on this matter, I will make sure that it is absolutely solved. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and I agreed to meet after the holiday to solve the problem. But if the problem is not solved once and for all, and I am forced to call a countrywide strike against the withholding of salaries, the State will turn to the Labor Court with a request for a restraining order."
It appears that if no agreement is found, a nationwide strike will in fact be the option of choice.
Following the disbanding of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 2003, the religious councils - which provide services such as marriage registration, burial, and mikvaot (ritual baths) - have been under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Bureau. Meir Shpiegler of the PM's Bureau announced yesterday that he would transfer a sum of nine million shekels to the councils immediately, to be used to pay part of the backlog on 700 workers' salaries.
Today, the dispute took a sharp turn for the worse, when the Histadrut asked the Labor Court to issue a restraining order against the Prime Minister's Bureau. The union accuses the PM's Bureau of hiring outside workers to perform burials in place of the striking religious-council workers in the town of Yehud.
The striking workers in Yehud have not received wages for seven months.
The chairman of the religious councils workers union, David Mishali, said that the decision to release nine million shekels is like "an aspirin to make us feel better for the holidays. It's been done before, but then after the holidays, everything goes back to normal and the problems return."
Shpiegler promised the funds - enough for an average of less than three months' salaray for each worker - at a Jerusalem Labor Court session on Tuesday. The session was initiated by the Histadrut Labor Union's demand for the money.
Atty. Roxanna Lamdan, representing the State, told the Court that the State has transferred its share of the money, but that the municipalities have failed to transfer the money to the religious councils. The State's consent to transfer the nine million shekels was accompanied by a warning that this would be the last time it would happen. "The State does not consider itself responsible for these employees," Lamdan said, as they are municipal workers.
Lamdan also said she views the matter as a dispute not as a labor matter, but rather as a dispute between the municipalities and the State. The two bodies have been wrangling for over two years as to which of them must fund the religious council workers' salaries, and at what rate.
Histadrut Chairman Ofei Eini provided justification for involving the Labor Court in the matter:
"My policy is to strike as little as possible, but on this matter, I will make sure that it is absolutely solved. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and I agreed to meet after the holiday to solve the problem. But if the problem is not solved once and for all, and I am forced to call a countrywide strike against the withholding of salaries, the State will turn to the Labor Court with a request for a restraining order."
It appears that if no agreement is found, a nationwide strike will in fact be the option of choice.