Fearing that the quarry strike may end up costing them their jobs, 500 truck drivers throughout Israel drove slowly and held up traffic on four major highways today. The affected areas were near Netanya, Shaar HaGai, the Golani Junction in the Galilee, and in the Haifa area. A spokesman for the drivers said that they took up only one lane of traffic, but that they would not hesitate to use their "tremendous strength and close down the country" if a solution is not found.
The strike is rooted in the fact that the operating permits for 50 of the country's 60 quarries expired at the end of 2002, and the government demanded that the quarry owners and operators compete in new tenders in order to continue operations. The owners, saying that this would jeopardize their investments in the quarries, also rejected a compromise proposal putting the issue on hold for ten weeks. They have asked for a panel of independent experts to determine a solution.
The strike is rooted in the fact that the operating permits for 50 of the country's 60 quarries expired at the end of 2002, and the government demanded that the quarry owners and operators compete in new tenders in order to continue operations. The owners, saying that this would jeopardize their investments in the quarries, also rejected a compromise proposal putting the issue on hold for ten weeks. They have asked for a panel of independent experts to determine a solution.