Today\'s weekly Cabinet session is also scheduled to deal with the new cutback plan presented by Finance Minister Silvan Shalom. Labor Party ministers said they would vote against the cuts, which they said would hurt the lower-earning classes. Education Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) also said she could not support the plan, which \"will be an additional cut in the Education Ministry budget, including the firing of thousands of teachers and blows at the weaker classes.\" Minister Shalom made a concession to his financial adversaries by canceling his plan to legislate a wage freeze.
Truckers are also up in arms over one of the plan\'s clauses, which raised diesel-fuel prices by 10%. \"It will lead to the collapse of the trucking industry,\" said Gabi Ben-Harush, Chairman of the Truckers Council, \"which is already in very bad shape.\" He said dozens of trucking offices will have to close and hundreds of drivers will be fired if the price hike goes through.
Truckers are also up in arms over one of the plan\'s clauses, which raised diesel-fuel prices by 10%. \"It will lead to the collapse of the trucking industry,\" said Gabi Ben-Harush, Chairman of the Truckers Council, \"which is already in very bad shape.\" He said dozens of trucking offices will have to close and hundreds of drivers will be fired if the price hike goes through.