Israel Railways trains stopped running Wednesday (May 11) at midnight due to a strike set off by the arrest of the head of the union of railroad workers Gila Haedry, in addition to nine other workers. The union head and nine other workers were arrested while demonstrating against privatization near the house of the Israel Railways chairman, Uri Yogev.

The railways management turned to the labor court late in the night with a request to order the railway employees to return to work immediately. Railway management said in response to the strike on Wednesday night that “this is an additional development in the chain of developments that cause Israel Railways to deteriorate and hurt the public passengers”. The labor union said in response to the management’s statement that since they were prevented from organizing a quite protest, they had no choice but to step-up their level of action.

The strike at Tel-Aviv University Station (photo: MAKI)

Tel Aviv Labor Court Judge Efrat Laskar issued a temporary injunction early on Thursday forcing railway workers to resume operations and later extended it until Monday morning. “The soldiers will go home for Shabbat and wheels will be set into motion without disruption,” she ruled. However, all train stations remained closed Thursday morning forcing passengers to seek alternative means of transportation. At 14:00 the Ramla Magistrate’s Court has released on limited conditions the 10 Israel Railways employees who were arrested on Wednesday night for allegedly causing a disturbance during a demonstration in front of Yogev’s home.

The 10 employees were issued 30-day restraining orders, which instructs them to stay away from the town of Reut , where Yogev lives. The railway workers union chairperson, who was among those arrested, said following the hearing that she will file a complaint against the police officers who beat her.

The Communist Party of Israel published a solidarity message with the striking workers’. “The gravity of the activists arrest is very high. It is not just another police action. We must make this strike the beginning of new struggles to overthrow the privatization and neo-liberal policy of the Israeli far-right government”, said.