School to resume after municipalities end day-long strike
Local authorities call off protest of state-wide budget cuts to ease strain on the public; negotiations with Finance Ministry to resume next week
Local municipalities agreed to end their day-old strike on Wednesday, after reporting progress in negotiations with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Finance Ministry over planned budget cuts.
Though no agreement was reached, the umbrella organization representing some 190 local governments, said schools and municipal services would resume on Thursday to prevent further strain on the public.
The Center for Local Government said talks with government ministries would resume early next week.
High schools, kindergartens and municipal offices were shuttered in dozens of cities across the country on Wednesday, demanding that the millions of shekels cuts cut from the 2017 state budget be cancelled.
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon Monday, the Center for Local Government said the slashes would leave local authorities with a total reduction of NIS 250 million ($65 million) in critical state support.
“Cuts to funds will affect around 190 local councils and the services they provide to their population,” the center said. “The State of Israel delegates responsibility over its population to the local authorities, and they are those who ensure all basic services to every citizen.
“Every year the government asks for more services and demands an increased burden by local leadership, while simultaneously dramatically reducing their budgets.”
The Center for Local Government warned that “if the treasury does not walk back this terrible edict, municipal services will be halted immediately.”
The cabinet on Sunday approved NIS 1.2 billion ($310 million) in cuts for the 2017-2018 budget in order to finance the relocation of the Amona settlement, establish the new public broadcasting corporation, and build new schools in ultra-Orthodox communities.
Cuts to education, health and welfare ministries were reportedly among the austerity measures approved by ministers in the vote.
The across-the-board cuts amounting to nearly two percent of the total budget went to a cabinet vote Sunday after Netanyahu, Kahlon and other senior ministry officials agreed the proposed cuts must be approved before the Knesset votes on the overall 2017-2018 budget later this month.
The Finance Ministry said the slashed funds would also help cover costs of armored public buses in the West Bank, the employment of Palestinian workers in Israel and various coalition agreements reached since the budget was first proposed.
