Today\'s weekly Cabinet session was also scheduled to deal with the new cutback plan presented by Finance Minister Silvan Shalom - but it appears that no concrete decisions will be made. 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. He will attempt to negotiate an agreed-upon wage freeze with the Histadrut Labor Union. Shalom will also meet with Labor Party ministers in an attempt to enlist their support for his plan.
Truckers are also up in arms over one of the plan\'s clauses, that 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.
In light of the broad-based objections, Prime Minister Sharon is expected to withdraw certain of the plan\'s more hard-hitting aspects.
Truckers are also up in arms over one of the plan\'s clauses, that 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.
In light of the broad-based objections, Prime Minister Sharon is expected to withdraw certain of the plan\'s more hard-hitting aspects.