Histadrut General Federation of Labor Chairman Avi Nissenkorn announced on Friday a general strike if there is no progress in talks to solve the Israel Post Office crisis. Israel Post Office employees are already striking government services, refusing to collect fines and transfer ownership of vehicles. The Histadrut says the government wants to fire 1,500 Israel Post Office employees and replace them with contract workers. Nissenkorn said, “If there will be no joint efforts to reduce the gaps between the parties and if there is no greater transparency towards employees then we will go for a general strike.” The general strike would be Nissankoren’s first as chairman of the Histadrut, a position he took earlier this year after his predecessor Ofer Eini stepped down.

Postal workers’ demonstration, last week, in Tel-Aviv (Photo: Histadrut)

Workers at the Airports Authority went on a three-hour strike Thursday in solidarity with postal workers in the midst of a labor dispute, temporarily shutting down Ben-Gurion Airport. The strike was called for 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., but the initial security check was already halted at 10:30 a.m. The Israel Postal Company labor dispute could see 1,500 workers laid off. Already, the dispute has stopped mail delivery, closed post office branches and hit various public institutions, disrupting service in district health offices. They have put the squeeze on the government by refusing to collect taxes or process fines.