Opposition against the practice of some Histadrut affiliates of buying existing industrial enterprises in Israel from private owners was expressed here today by Pinhas Lavon, Secretary General of the Histadrut. He urged instead that the economic division of the labor federation concentrate primarily on establishing pioneer plants in Israel’s development area.
Speaking at the opening session of a three-day meeting of the Histadrut national executive, Mr. Lavon reported that the Histadrut and state-owned portion of Israel’s economy now comprised 60 percent of the total economy. This, he said, imposed on the labor federation the duty of taking “a broad national view” in plans for further expansion.
He urged that the Hevrat Ovidim, the Histadrut’s holding company, be given authority for supervising overall policy in the federation’s enterprises, but that the day-to-day operating policies in factories be left to Histadrut plant managers. He also suggested that the introduction of worker participation in the management of Histadrut factories micht have “salutary” effect on both labor and the nation.
He declared his support for the national health program but only on the basis of existing sick funds. He added a warning to doctors in the program not to “alienate” the people with “exaggerated” demands for higher salaries.
The Histadrut secretariat submitted to the executive committee a 20, 000, 000 pound budget for the year, an increase of 2, 100, 000 pounds over last year’s budget.
RUSSIA SCORED FOR GIVING FALSE PICTURE OF ISRAEL AND HISTADRUT
Concern over the increasingly hostile Soviet propaganda attack which has given many nations of the world a distorted picture of Israel and of the Histadrut was expressed at the meeting by Reuben Barkatt, head of the labor federation’s international relations department. Speaking at another session of the national executive, Mr. Barkatt called Soviet remarks about Israel and the labor group “reminiscent of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and of Moscow’s ‘doctors plot.'”
On the positive side, Mr. Barkatt revealed the interest of African and Asian nations in Histadrut’s organizational set-up, noting that at the moment a Ghanian trade union delegation was in Israel studying the Histadrut’s structure and program. Other countries which have evidenced interest in the Histadrut include: Nigeria, Burma, Malaya and Japan.
Mr. Barkatt noted that the Histadrut was represented on three world-wide organizations together with labor groups from major Asian nations like India, Indonesia and Pakistan. The Histadrut’s membership on the International Labor Organization, International Confederation of Eree Trade Unions and International Cooperative Movement, be asserted, permitted the Israeli group to explain Israels case in an atmosphere which otherwise would be completely dominated by the Arab view.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
