Thousands of contract workers, Jews and Arabs, protested on Thursday, July 16, at the Habima Square in downtown Tel-Aviv as part of the struggle being waged by labor unions to reduce the number of contract workers being employed by public institutions. The hiring of contract personnel, who do not enjoy the benefits earned by union employees, is an ever increasing phenomenon in recent years, consistent with neo-liberal policies. Among the demonstrators at the Thursday protest were leading activists from Hadash and the Communist Party of Israel. Negotiations are currently underway between the Ministry of Finance and unions belonging to the Histadrut labor federation which recently threatened a nation-wide strike if a deal is not reached by July 22.

Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman (second from left) among the demonstrators in Tel-Aviv, Thursday July 16 (Photo: Hadash fraction in the Histadrut)

Speaking out on Tuesday of this week, July 14, the head of the Histadrut, Avi Nissenkorn, condemned the widespread use of contract workers in professions such as teaching and social work. Teachers hired by contract are paid for only 10 months of the year, earning nothing during the summer vacation months. Calling for permanent employment status for professions such as social work, Nissenkorn reported that two-thirds of pre-medical staff working at the Tel Hashomer hospital are employed under temporary contracts. At Thursday’s mass protest in Tel Aviv, Nissenkorn said: “We have taken upon ourselves the fight to get rid of the socially unjust phenomenon of employing contract labor, and the Israeli public should know that we will not cease and will not rest until we eliminate this scourge.”

If the general strike goes ahead, it will hit bodies like the Tax Authority, Airport Authority, National Insurance Institute, local councils, port authorities, and even private companies unionized through the Histadrut.

Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality – Communist Party of Israel) fraction in the Histadrut welcomed the decision to call a general strike, as was Hadash MK Dov Khenin (Joint List) who said he would introduce a bill in the coming weeks to eliminate contract work in the public sector. “There are hundreds of thousands of workers without job security and fair work conditions,” Khenin said. “It’s only fitting for the public sector to serve as an example for all bodies that hire contract workers and to stop the spread of the phenomenon.”

Related:

The Struggle against Contract Labor: Histadrut Calls General Strike for July 22