Strike (file)
Strike (file)Flash 90

The general strike which was launched by the Histadrut labor federation on Wednesday is set to end within a few hours, Kol Yisrael radio reported on Thursday morning.

Representatives of the Histadrut and the Treasury held all-night talks overnight Wednesday and were to notify the National Labor Court of the progress in talks by 1:00 a.m. (Israel time). However, that deadline was postponed several times as progress was made in the talks.

Early on Thursday morning it was reported that the two sides were drafting an agreement of principles, a sign that the strike is coming to an end.

Meanwhile, the Histadrut has ordered that the Ben Gurion International Airport resume regular operations.

The central issue over which the strike was announced was employees who work for contractors, who do not grant them the same benefits often granted by a direct employer.

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.