Galilee workers burn tires, use forklifts to block plant closure

Hundreds of workers at the debt-ridden Phoenicia glass factory in the Galilee staged a protest against its planned closure Thursday morning, successfully blocking the entry of a piece of cooling equipment that was necessary for the shutdown of the facility.

The workers burned tires, threw stones and used forklifts to block the entrance to the plant, the Ynet news website reported.

Phoenicia, a major manufacturer and exporter of industrial grade glass, is reportedly NIS 300 million in debt and the factory was slated for a shutdown — a process that takes weeks of cooling the industrial ovens used to shape the glass.

As a result of Thursday’s successful protest, CEO Eran Haimovitch said that the factory would continue to function until October 15, but after that time the plant would run out of money for day-to-day operations. He said the administration would seek ways to raise money to extend the life of the factory.

Workers have staged several rallies in the past weeks to protest the plant’s closure, but Thursday’s was the first to turn violent.

The Knesset Finance Committee is reportedly to meet Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue of the plant’s closure, which directly employs 400 people and indirectly supports hundreds more as re-sellers.