Finance Ministry officials and representatives of the Secondary School Teachers' Association (Irgun HaMorim) will return Wednesday to the National Labor Court. The government has asked the court to issue the striking teachers back-to-work orders in a bit to end the seven-week-old strike.
The Finance Ministry, which warned more than a month ago it would petition the court to order the teachers to return to the classrooms, filed the motion with the Labor Court Tuesday.
Representatives of the Finance and Education Ministries told the court that the possibility of a negotiated settlement is not within reach at this point.
The union argued before the judge that the court has no authority to force the teachers back to work, and teachers on the picket line reiterated their threat to quit altogether if the court orders them to return to the classrooms without a settlement.
At least 100 teachers signed letters of resignation weeks ago, saying they would not return to work under the current conditions and wages.
The latest offer from the Education Ministry includes an addition of 100 million more classroom hours in 2008 and development of a long-term plan to include additional teaching hours and smaller classes.
Negotiators for the Finance Ministry also agreed to a proposal by Histadrut National Labor Union head Ofer Eini to raise salaries by 8.5% over the course of 1.5 years, linked to a partial reform of the education system as a whole.
The teachers' union has dropped its initial demands for an immediate salary hike several times, from 20 percent to 15 percent, then down to 13.5 percent. It is unclear whether union officials agreed to the government's offer of a gradual 8.5 percent raise.
Eini joined the talks several weeks ago in an effort to mediate between the parties and end the dispute. He succeeded in bringing the positions of the two parties closer, but has failed to negotiate a final settlement.