Tel Aviv — The workers committee at Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL) has come out strongly against the proposed merger of the company with Potash Corp of Saskatchewan (PotashCorp). The powerful union has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block the sale on the grounds that it would harm the Negev, Israel’s southern region where most of the company’s production facilities are located. The workers asked for an urgent meeting with the prime minister to discuss contacts between the government and PotashCorp. In a letter to the prime minister, the committee said it feared the proposed sale of the controlling interest in ICL to PotashCorp is likely to have an immediate and direct impact on thousands of families, and a severe indirect impact on industry in the Negev. The committee members expressed concern that production lines would be transferred abroad, affecting the livelihoods of hundreds – if not thousands – of families. The workers committee letter appealed to the prime minister in the name of 5000 employees directly employed by ICL and another 20,000 to 25,000 households indirectly employed by the company to prevent the sale of the controlling interest. The Israeli government has held a golden share in the company since it was privatized back in the mid-1990s, making any deal subject to the approval of the state. Earlier this month, Haifa Chemicals appealed to the Israeli leader not to approve the proposed merger on competition grounds. There is also substantial opposition to a merger among several political parties, with the most vocal being opposition Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovitch. Although the Israeli Finance Ministry has been holding contacts with PotashCorp on a possible merger, most experts believe that little, if any, progress is likely before the January 22 Knesset elections due to the controversial nature of the proposed merger.
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