Israeli public schools will begin late yet again, with studies starting at 10:00 a.m. Monday, rather than 8:00, as the Israel Teachers Union extended its partial strike.
The nationwide two-hour strike was called for Monday after union chief Yaffa Ben-David accused the Israeli government of ignoring the union’s demands.
“If Lapid, Bennett, and Liberman want to end this crisis, they can do it immediately,” Ben-David said Sunday night. “But apparently they enjoy watching millions of parents, who anyway are barely able to handle the high cost of living in this country, are now have to suffer with the lack of certainty in the educational system.”
“I call on them once again: Come to the negotiating table and see how the officials behave. The sanctions were intensified after Finance Ministry officials came to a meeting unprepared and without a budget plan.”
Israel’s teachers’ union has held partial strikes across the country over the past few days, beginning school two hours late, each time in a different region of the country.
The union is demanding a new wage agreement for teachers, and has rejected Finance Minister Avidgor Liberman’s plan to cut summer vacation to one month and to link bonuses to teacher performance.
The strikes affect preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools around Israel, while special education institutions and classes are exempt.