Labor union, Finance Ministry terminate talks over minimum wage

Last week, Histadrut had threatened to launch general strike if its members’ salaries were not increased

Negotiations between state officials and representatives of the powerful Histadrut labor union broke down Tuesday, only one day after the parties held their first meeting, as the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on potentially raising the low minimum wage. However, a meeting between the Histadrut and the Finance Ministry is scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the widespread use of temporary workers for cleaning and security services.

Last week, Histadrut chairman Avi Nissenkorn listed his grievances in a statement as “the disgrace of the minimum wage in Israel, the worrying spread of the phenomenon of contracted workers, and the contempt by the state in not implementing an order regarding the expansion of employing disabled people in the civil service.”

Nissenkorn later threatened to launch a general strike.

If Nissenkorn were to declare such a measure, there would be a two-week period before he could put the strike into action.

The last time the Histadrut called a general strike was in 2012 in a bid to force limits on the use of contract workers for general services.

At the time there was an agreement with the Treasury to have cleaners and security workers be made full workers and not remain contractors, but the Treasury has been stalling over implementing the conditions, Channel 2 reported.

Since then, raising the minimum wage has also become a priority for the Histadrut.

Recent meetings with the Finance Ministry resulted in an agreement that the wage be raised, but the amount remains a point of contention.