Voting opened at 8:00, Tuesday morning, in elections for the chairmanship of the Histadrut Labor Federation, its central committee and leadership of the Na’amat women’s labor organization. The union’s 2,066 polling places, most of them in work places, are scheduled to be open until 10:00 p.m. The official results are expected Wednesday.

Neo-liberal Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini has the support of Labor party chairwoman Shelly Yechimovich, the government parties: the Likud and haredi Shas party and the Oz faction of Likud Knesset Member Haim Katz. Member of Knesset Eitan Cabel (Labor dissent) is backed by Hadash, Meretz and Kadima and Labor dissent parties members.

“The Histadrut labor federation must become the country’s leading social organization and fight against the capitalist system that worsens social gaps”, candidate for Histadrut chairman Cabel said on last Wednesday.

“In our Histadrut there won’t be contract workers; everyone will be workers with full rights. There won’t be piggishness, only social justice,” Cabel said, adding that the union will “fight against the cost of living, the social gaps, the astronomical executive salaries and will, no less importantly, provide a positive example to the public.” In a statement published Monday Hadash and the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) declared the coming Histadrut  (Federation of Labor) elections, not only a crucial campaign for the strengthening of the working class, but also a political campaign to win against the “unity” right wing government and its representatives in the Histadrut.