The government workers' strike appears to be close to an end. A marathon negotiating session that ran from yesterday afternoon until this morning produced agreements on most issues, and the outstanding issues will be discussed this evening. Ofer Eini of the Histadrut Labor Union explained today that the cost-of-living agreement that was signed last week solved the problems of salaried workers in general, "but the government workers have specific problems which have not yet been addressed. These include lower and eroded salaries, salary structure changes, and the like... Sizeable gaps between our positions still exist, but they are bridgeable. With good will on both the Finance Ministry's part and mine, it could end today."



The municipal workers' strike, on the other hand, is nowhere near a resolution. In addition to the workers' demands themselves, which have not been resolved, even the question of which body will pay whatever sums are agreed upon has not yet been decided.