Court orders nurses to end 2-day strike, enter negotiations with Health Ministry

The Tel Aviv Labor Court orders nurses to end their labor strike and enter negotiations with the Health Ministry on reducing their workload, ending a two-day standoff.

Nurses went on strike across Israel yesterday after negotiations between the National Nurses Union and the Health Ministry broke down a day earlier. The nurses are protesting what they say are poor working conditions, heavy caseloads amid a manpower shortage, and low standards of care.

The court decision allows the nurses to continue with smaller protests, such as refusing to perform non-essential tests or computerize information, according to reports. But the decision also reportedly allows the ministry to reduce their salaries in retaliation.

The court decision is welcomed by the Health Ministry, which says it will immediately resume talks with the National Nurses Union.