Israel: a social revolution

"This is nothing less than a social revolution", said Histadrut Chairman Avi Nissenkorn today at a special press conference held in the light of the agreements reached with the Finance Ministry on the issue of the contract workers. "This is a direct continuation of the promotion of the employment of workers with disabilities and raising the minimum wage. We return the dignity to the worker. The state takes responsibility and resumes promoting the social issue, while placing the worker back in the center."

Histadrut Chairman Nissenkorn thanked Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon in his remarks and added:

"There's a Finance Minister in Jerusalem - a leader and a responsible person with a deep social commitment. This agreement is revolutionary and together we are making real social change."

Histadrut's achieved the following agreements in the struggle for the contract workers:

• Workers who are employed in the cleaning and security sectors in the educational institutions will be employed starting from 2016 - 12 months a year. (Approximately 20,000 workers).
•  Approximately 600 school nurses will be absorbed into direct employment in 2016 (approximately 550 positions)
• 1,500 cleaners in the government hospitals will be absorbed into direct employment in 2016. A similar agreement was reached with Eli Defes, Director-General of Clalit Health Services, concerning the absorption into direct employment of workers in hospitals owned by the Health Services.
• Approximately 5,000 budgeted aides will be absorbed into direct employment.
• Approximately 1,700 social workers in local authorities and approximately another 300 social workers currently employed through the research funds, will be absorbed into direct employment.
• In 2016, an extension order will be signed which will apply to all the budgeted social workers (approximately 6,000 workers) and equalize their employment conditions to the conditions of municipal and government employees.
• Approximately 3,000 Karev Education Program employees will start working 12 months a year, and their new employment conditions will include a study fund, allocations to pension, and convalescence pay according to the conditions customary in the civil service. Karev Education Program employees whose appointment percentage is higher than 25%, will transfer from an employment format of hourly wage to an employment format of monthly wage.
• Workers who are employed in the cleaning and security sectors in the educational institutions will be employed starting from 2016 - 12 months a year. (Approximately 20,000 workers).
• Workers of the absorption centers for immigrants from Ethiopia will be absorbed into direct employment in the local authorities.
• The attorneys in the Administrator General Unit will be absorbed into direct employment in a process that that will spread out across two years (2016-2017).
• During 2016, the Information Center of the Employment Service will transfer to a format of direct employment. In the operation of the Center, priority will be given to employing students and people with disabilities.
• On the issue of "shoulder to shoulder" workers - It was decided to establish a special team headed by Histadrut Chairman Avi Nissenkorn and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.

As part of the agreements between the Finance Ministry and the Histadrut on the issue of contract workers, "industrial peace" will be maintained and there won't be a strike on the issue of contract workers until the end of 2016.

For more information:

• See Histadrut's website and full press release
• "Public-sector strike averted as deal on contract workers reached" - Haaretz
• Strike aborted as deal made on contract employment - Times of Israel