MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) said on Monday that he planned to introduce legislation requiring companies that receive aid or tax concessions, like Teva, under Israel’s Law for Encouraging Capital Investment, to return the money if they lay off employees. Teva announced that it will fire 5,000 employees worldwide, and media reports claim that it will fire 700-800 employees in Israel.

Teva in Wall Street (Photo: NYSE)

The union local representing Teva employees at factories all over Israel will meet this week to decide how to act. “We’re determined to prevent Teva management from firing hundreds of workers, or even fewer than that,” said Herzl Yaka, chairman of the Histadrut labor federation’s food and pharmaceutical workers division. The unions are planning an unlimited strike at the company’s plants in Israel, over the massive layoffs.  “In Petah Tikva, shortly before the company’s announcement, something like 30 security guards were waiting to prevent us, heaven forbid, from going up to CEO Jeremy Levin’s office,” says Teva Tech workers committee chairman Eli Zohar. “Management representatives came down to us and told us that the layoffs would only be in Europe and the US, but then we learned that they were beginning to talk about 700-800 layoffs in Israel. I consider this as childish behavior, and we’re not intimidated by it. We’re ready for a long strike, we’ll raise money to survive, and I hope that the other unions will join Teva Tech’s employees.

“We’ll eat only bread and we’ll drink only water, and we won’t let anyone break us,” said Zohar. “I told Teva’ VP human resources that executive fat, their huge salaries, should first be cut, before they hurt us, the workers. They may consider us, the workers at Ramat Hovav, as little guy, but these little guys make their billions. We’ll protect our workers like a lioness protecting her cubs. Some of us have nothing to eat, so we have nothing to lose. If necessary, we’ll jump into the flames.” The chairman of the workers committee at Teva’ Kfar Saba facility talked about the need to unify the committees for a common struggle. “The committees are now talking together like they never did before. There will be no more divide and rule.”

Related: A strike in Teva Tech in July 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8dPDBPB-D8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMF8rMZRsTk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko2FpaPM0hw