El Al management, pilots said close to deal to end labor dispute

Following several hours of negotiations on Sunday, El Al’s management and pilots’ union were reportedly close to reaching an agreement that would put an end to an ongoing labor dispute that has seen many long-haul flights canceled.

Representatives from both sides at Israel’s national airline have resolved most of their issues, and an agreement was expected to be signed on Monday, Channel 10 reported.

Still, according to a report from the Hebrew-language Globes website, the pilots failed to secure a key demand to continue their current practice of splitting long-haul flights between two flight crews and cabin staff.

El Al’s management has accused pilots of intentionally holding up flights in order to pressure the company to meet what it says are impossible demands on working conditions. The pilots’ union has criticized the airline management for making decisions it says are unreasonable and harmful to the company’s employees.

On Saturday, a flight from Tel Aviv to Boston was canceled and two flights to New York departed with planes and crew leased from other airlines, according to Israel Radio.

Last week, the airline was forced to cancel flights in and out of Ben Gurion International Airport due to the dispute. Also, some 1,000 El Al workers took part in an emergency protest outside the company management’s building over the expected dismissal of hundreds of employees in the coming year.

In a recent statement on its website, El Al apologized for the disruptions and blamed the pilots. “In the last several days, many of you have experienced difficulties with some of our flights. We sincerely apologize from the bottom of our hearts.

“The disagreements with the company’s pilots have resulted in sanctions that have a negative impact on our passengers in order to put pressure on the company, its management and employees,” it said.