Israel’s powerful Histadrut Labor Federation has issued an ultimatum that it will declare a general labor dispute in all of southern Israel on Thursday, Feb. 26, if a solution is not found for the crisis at Israel Chemicals Ltd. The ultimatum was issued on Tuesday, Feb. 24, by Histadrut Chairman Avi Nissenkorm. Declaring a work dispute would allow the Histadrut to impose a full scale general strike two weeks later.
Nissenkorn said that southern Israel must be saved from layoffs. He said the fight would be escalated. The labor union chairman called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get directly involved to prevent the layoffs at Dead Sea Bromine and Dead Sea Works since they directly involve the country’s natural resources.
On Feb. 24, ICL workers demonstrated in Beer Sheba as part of their effort to get public support. On Sunday and Monday mass demonstrations were held in Dimona and Arad.
The strike itself has turned more acrimonious. The Histadrut charged ICL management with pasting summons for layoff hearings on the doors of employees in the middle of the night while management charged that one of the messengers was attacked while trying to deliver a summons and was later hospitalized.
On Feb. 23, Israel’s Finance Ministry said it is considering intervention in the crisis.