El Al Workers Warned to End Slowdown or Government Would Shut Down National Air Carrier

Transport Minister Gad Yaacobi gave El Al maintenance workers until midnight tonight to end their work slowdown or the government would shut down Israel’s national air carrier. The Minister’s ultimatum was supported by Histadrut Secretary General Yehuram Meshel who warned the airline employes that the labor federation would no longer protect their jobs unless they comply.

The confrontation was the most serious of a year marked by sporadic strikes and work stoppages by El Al employes which reportedly cost the airline millions of dollars. The 400 maintenance workers who keep El Al’s jet fleet air-worthy, began a rule-book slowdown yesterday in a dispute over reduced foreign currency allotments stemming from last month’s devaluation of the Pound. The action delayed departure of five of seven El Al flights yesterday and continued to cause delays today affecting thousands of Christmas season tourists.

Yaacobi announced, after a meeting with Premier Yitzhak Rabin, that the government would end El Al’s operations as an independent carrier and transfer its passengers to foreign airlines or to chartered planes. Meshel said Histadrut would waive its obligations to any group of employes who strike against an essential service without consulting the union. But the technicians insisted they were not on strike. They said they were merely following the maintenance rule book to the letter and therefore were not required to meet the Transport Minister’s midnight deadline.

SEA-FARERS. RESOLVE DISPUTE

Meanwhile, a dispute was resolved in another area of labor troubles when Israeli sea-farers won their demand for foreign currently payments at the pre-devaluation rate. The Treasury announced yesterday that it would permit Israeli shipping companies to pay the foreign currency portion of officers’ and seamen’s wages according to the old rate of one pound sterling for IL 1. When the Pound was devalued Nov. 10, the rate became one pound sterling to IL 14. The seamen staged a two-day strike earlier this month in protest, tying up ships at Israel’s three ports. The tourist traffic was not disrupted, however, because Israel no longer operates passenger ships.

CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

Finance Minister Yehoshua Rabinowitz announced at a press conference in Jerusalem yesterday that the government would initiate a large scale campaign to increase productivity. He said labor teams would visit 400 plants all over Israel to organize drives against absenteeism. The goal is to improve Israel’s trade balance by increasing exports. “If we want to live in this country we had better change our mode of living,” Rabinowitz said.

Premier Yitzhak Rabin, a strong critic of the declining work ethic in Israel, declared on a television interview, “I can’t understand why the working day must end at 2 p.m.” He urged the working population to cooperate in the government’s drive for productivity.