Social Workers Strike Nationwide, Thousands Join Protest in Tel Aviv

Thousands of social workers gathered in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Monday, December 17, to protest their poor work conditions. In addition, around the country they paralyzed all social services in a strike to protest the violence social workers are frequently subjected to and their low wages.

Thousands of social workers demonstrate in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, Monday, December 17.

Thousands of social workers demonstrate in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, Monday, December 17. (Photo: Social Workers Union)

During the strike municipal welfare departments were closed, social workers didn’t provide courts with written evaluations, and centers for the treatment of domestic violence did not operate. Similarly, social workers didn’t provide services to the public at the Social Affairs Ministry, including probation officers, and social workers in the education system, National Insurance Institute, health system, hospitals and HMOs, and mental health clinics were also on strike.

Last month, the Social Workers Union began protest actions as part of their campaign to improve their conditions of employment, including increasing their personal safety in workplaces, reducing caseloads, and in general against the social policy of the far-right government.

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