Hundreds of employees from Israel’s three airlines demonstrated outside the government compound in Jerusalem on Sunday during the weekly cabinet meeting, to protest ministers’ plans to approve a neo-liberal Open Skies agreement. Police arrested eight workers and held some more for questioning, out of the hundreds of airlines employees demonstrating in Jerusalem. The Cabinet approved on Sunday the agreement with a 16 to three majority, while striking airline employees protested outside, clashing with security forces.
Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia and Israir began a strike at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning by grounding their fleets in protest of the the cabinet’s decision to pass an Open Skies agreement with the European Union.
Hundreds of employees from Israel’s three airlines picketed outside the government compound in Jerusalem on Sunday (Photo: Histadrut)
On Friday, Finance Minister Yair Lapid told some 30 airline workers demonstrating outside his home that while the government would not abandon Israel’s workers, it was unlikely to forego the agreement. Transportation Minister Ysrael Katz told the station earlier in the day that there was no avoiding passage of the agreement, the details of which he finalized in July after three years of negotiation with the EU.
The Histadrut labor federation announced the strike on Thursday afternoon, calling it “an existential strike for the future of Israeli airlines.” “The meaning of the agreement in its current form is the elimination of Israeli airlines and the direct and indirect firing of tens of thousands of workers,” it said. “We are not against competition, but we are in favor of equal and fair competition,” said Avi Edry, head of the El Al workers union. In a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini on Saturday urged the government to reconsider approving the Open Skies agreement. “I am appealing to you at this critical hour in an urgent call to the Israeli government to avoid making difficult and destructive historical decisions, with no substantive discussion on the matter and on the basis of incomplete information,” he said. In response to the cabinet decision, the El Al workers union chairman said he will ask Histadrut to call an all out strike of Israel’s airport and seaport authorities.
Arkia workers union chairman Yigal Cohen added: “This is a battle for survival that could be the last following the devastating and irresponsible decision of the transportation minister.” Channel 10 News reported Saturday night that an internal Transportation Ministry document, which it claimed was not being brought to the minister’s attention, said El Al might collapse if the “Open Skies” arrangement came into effect.
