Thousands of teachers gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Wednesday night, May 14, to demonstrate against recent salary cuts to help finance the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank, amid ongoing disputes between Israel’s educators and the finance and education ministries. MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) and several Communist militants at the education workers’ unions were among protesters.

Thousands of teachers gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Wednesday night, May 14, to demonstrate against recent salary cuts to help finance the war in Gaza (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)

Teachers across Israel in recent weeks have been striking, first lawfully and later by taking sick leave after the Finance Ministry decided to cut half of millions public sector salaries by 3.3%. The strike began earlier this month with the delayed opening of elementary schools on May 4, as some teachers only reported working at 10 a.m., and others did not show up at all, until the Tel Aviv Labor Court ruled that they could not legally strike over the issue and ordered them to return to work

Addressing the crowd at Habima Square, Secondary Schools Teachers Association Chairman Ran Erez said that the aim of the protest was to “convey to the government that the public is no longer willing to remain silent.” Erez addressed the protest against education workers’ salary cuts, “We are fighting for the country’s future and our economic and employment future.” He said about Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that he is “consistent in harming organized labor”‘ and criticized Education Minister Yoav Kisch: “He flips like a steak in a pan.”

Commenting on the Labor Court’s ruling, Erez told the protesters that while they may not be allowed to launch additional strikes against the salary cuts, the union would “continue to fight through protests, in the media, in advertisements, until these ministers who are harming us understand that without education, this country has no future.”