One-day train workers strike causes chaos

Two days after a general strike ended, Israel’s trains came to a halt on Monday night and a strike went into effect on Tuesday.

Although the Tel Aviv Labor Court issued an injunction commanding the striking workers to return to their posts by 9 a.m. Tuesday, the workers did not comply, forcing hordes of morning commuters to find another way to work.

Plans to privatize some of the services within Israel Railways have caused tensions between the management and workers union over the past weeks, leading to the union’s decision to strike. In addition, the protesters contend that new new station chief of Yavne was appointed without approval of the union.

Four engines in need of mending have been left untouched, as the workers used them for leverage in their fight to stop the services from being privatized. The train management said the union was harming itself as well as any Israeli who uses the trains.

Late Sunday night the labor court intervened, ordering workers to fix the engines and make them operational by Monday. On Monday night the train management turned to court, asking for an injunction against the strike. The management added that the workers were acting in contempt of court as they had yet to comply with its previous ruling.

Despite their earlier refusal to return to work, by mid-afternoon Tuesday a deal had been reached. The Histadrut labor union announced that the workers would soon return to their jobs and the full train service would be resumed.