Trade Union Friends of Israel

The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) is threatening severe labor sanctions because workers at Israel Military Industries (IMI) have not received their pay. In a meeting on Tuesday attended by Histadrut chairman MK Amir Perez (One Nation) and Trade Union division head Ofer Eini, representatives of IMI workers severely criticized the Ministry of Finance for continued delays in paying the workers’ September salaries.

Perez and Eini said that the Ministry of Finance was withholding salaries in order to pressure IMI workers to withdraw their opposition to privatization and the recovery plan formulated by IMI management. The Histadrut accused the ministry of continuing to pressure the workers, despite criticism by the State Comptroller of the sale of IMI subsidiary Ashot Ashkelon Industries and his demand for a delay in the sales process for IMI as a whole.

The Histadrut announced that, unless the IMI workers were paid immediately, it would begin labor sanctions against the government, including a solidarity strike by other trade unions.

IMI said in response, “The ministers of finance and defense are attentive to IMI’s needs and management’s request. They have decided to grant the company a large aid package, but the workers’ representatives have been evading negotiations, under the mistaken assumption that a media campaign and slander can replace realistic actions. IMI management demands that the workers end their delay, which is leading them nowhere.”

A representative of the workers’ committee commented, “It’s time for IMI management to stop mouthing slogans, and either help the company to recover, or resign. IMI and Ministry of Finance officials bear personal responsibility for withholding wages. We won’t accept this; we’ll use any means to correct this injustice.”