Border officials call surprise strike after court shortens airport protest

Border control officials at Israel’s main international airport called a two-hour surprise strike Sunday morning, hours after a court ruled that airport workers would have to shorten a sit-down planned to protest against mass layoffs to employees working for Israel’s state broadcaster.

The wildcat strike, slated for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., came as some 70,000 passengers were expected to pass through Ben-Gurion airport Sunday on one of the busiest traveling days of the year, Israeli news site Ynet reported.

Several flight delays were reported as a result.

The border control staff at Ben Gurion had not been expected to strike along with other airport workers, although border officials at the Allenby Bridge border crossing into Jordan had announced they would strike.

An hour before the strike, a labor court had ruled that a two-hour strike by airport workers would have to be cut to half an hour for on-the-ground and logistics staff, causing slight flight delays.

Office and management staff could proceed with the two-hour strike, the court ruled.

Office staff struck from 10 a.m to 12 p.m., while on-the-ground staff struck from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

El Al pushed forward and delayed several flights Saturday to prevent them from coinciding with the strike. Three Sunday flights — to New York, London and Marseille — were pushed forward to 9:30 a.m. while one flight to Bucharest was delayed to 1:00 p.m.

Travelers were advised to stay updated concerning flight delays.

“The fact that the Court did not issue an injunction against the strike speaks for itself, and I hope that the message will reach those [in charge] to avoid laying off [the] broadcast authority employees,” airport union chief Pinchas Idan said, according to Channel 2.

However, a statement from the airport criticized the workers and said they were “harming the operations of the airport and flights coming in and out of Israel.”

The labor action comes amid a growing dispute between the state and employees of the Israel Broadcaster Authority, who are protesting the planned shuttering of the state body.

Some 150 protesters, composed of IBA workers and their families, gathered outside the Knesset Sunday morning holding placards such as “no to closure, yes to rehabilitation,” and “collapse of the authority — victory for tycoons,” Ynet news reported.

The Knesset was scheduled to debate Sunday an amendment to the law governing public broadcasting, which includes massive layoffs to the IBA.

IBA workers held a weekend sit-in at the organization’s headquarters in Jerusalem to protest the proposed cutbacks.

Social Affairs Minister Haim Katz expressed his support for the strike and vowed to fight the Knesset amendment.

“We have to preserve public broadcasting. I will not lend my hand to the layoff of workers by way of Knesset legislation. [Israel] needs a strong broadcasting authority that isn’t enslaved by the ratings gods,” Katz said.

Last year, the Knesset approved legislation to abolish the IBA and replace it with a new public entity.

The bill’s sponsor, then-communications minister Gilad Erdan, explained at the time that the need for the change stemmed from the broadcast authority becoming increasingly unnecessary. Erdan said a new public entity would save money and do away with the unpopular television tax.

IBA workers were set to attend Sunday’s Knesset session as part of a last-ditch bid to thwart the large-scale layoffs and overhaul.

Port workers in Ashdod and Haifa were also set to hold a solidarity strike Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., along with workers at the Allenby Bridge Border Crossing, Israel Radio reported.