Attempts continue to be made to find a solution for the 750 employees of Kiryat Gat\'s Bagir textile plant, who have been under the foreboding shadow of a mass lay-off since Thursday. Minister of Labor and Welfare Eli Yeshai met today for several hours with representatives of the management and workers of the factory. The Manufacturers Association called upon the government to restrict the import of clothing from the Far East, as European governments do, to prevent the further deterioration of the home-based textile industry.



Ramzi Gabbai, Chairman of the Textiles Union in the Manufacturers Association, told Arutz-7 today, \"Six years ago, there were 48,000 employees in textiles, now there are 30,000, and I fear that the number will continue to decrease... Israeli governments have pursued a mistaken policy allowing free imports from the Far East, for no reason and with no obligation on the parts of the exporting countries... Contrary to popular theories, this does not help the economy, and I\'ll explain why: If a rich person used to pay 100 shekels for a shirt, and now only has to pay 50 shekels, that\'s very nice - but the poorer strata can no longer even afford the 50-shekel shirt, and all because these industries that employ workers who are not trained for other work are being opened up, for no reason, to competition from the Far East... The State of Israel cannot be only hi-tech...\"