All Israeli airlines will be subject to general strike beginning Sunday morning at 05:00. The strike is over the impending decision by the new coalition government to impose an ‘Open Skies’ agreement which threatens the livelihood of thousands of Israeli working families. The unions fear that the Israeli-owned airlines will suffer as giant multinational carriers will drive them out of business. The workers’ councils in all three Israeli airlines support the decision to strike.

The workers committees at Israel’s three carriers El Al, Arkia and Israir, decided during a crisis meeting to declare a strike beginning Sunday, unless the government freezes its intention to approve the open skies agreement at Sunday’s cabinet meeting, and open talks with the carriers’ representatives on the matter.

Israeli airline workers demonstration on Friday outside the home of Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Photo: Histadrut)

 El Al workers committee chairman Asher Edry told journalists that the committees had taken the joint decision to ground all flights beginning Sunday, unless the government opens negotiations with them. “We demand that all the promises made to us before the agreement was signed, i.e. the issuing of slots at key European airports, code-sharing with foreign airlines, which have been blocked, and so forth, be implemented in full. Otherwise, we will shut down aviation.” Israeli airline employees demonstrated Friday outside the home of Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to protest the expected opening of the airline industry to foreign competition.

The finance minister then invited the heads of the three companies’ employee unions and representatives of the pilots’ union into his home for a conversation. During the meeting, Lapid promised that he would look into their claims and suggested that the cabinet discussion to approve the Open Skies agreement, expected to take place on Sunday, might be postponed.

“Yisrael Katz sold us out and lied to us before the elections and isn’t carrying out what he promised,” said Edry. “We asked Lapid to protect us: 20,000 airlines employees and our families. I felt that [Lapid] understands us and I believe our activism will bear fruit. “Lapid didn’t promise anything, but he said he would look into the matter with the transportation minister and we would receive an answer,” Edry added. “The strike set for Sunday still stands.”