The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) declared on Thursday a labor dispute in the civil service and local authorities tomorrow to protest the foot-dragging by the Ministry of Finance in the negotiations to reduce the number of people employed by personal contracts. Declaration of a labor dispute gives the union the right to declare a strike, after a two-week cooling-off period. The Histadrut says that the labor dispute will include all government ministries, the civil service, and local and regional authorities and municipal companies, including Israel’s three largest cities – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa.

“It seems that it is more convenient for the Ministry of Finance to keep the current situation as is. The ministry is using personal contracts to bypass collective contracts by offering incentives for employees to work in this way. But the workers now know that this is simply a mechanism of exploitation, and despite the short-term bait, it is better to be employed under a labor contract,” said a Histadrut leading member. “Workers should be switched from personal contracts to labor contracts. I really don’t understand the Ministry of Finance’s procrastination. I regret that we are forced to declare a labor dispute, but the Ministry of Finance has had a full year to enter into talks for a full year, and it has chosen not to do so,” he added.