A two-hour nationwide strike, called by the Histadrut today to protest the government’s cut in subsidies which sent basic food prices up by an average of 50 percent, delayed flights at Ben Gurion Airport, disrupted banking and communications and closed down many large plants.
Histadrut spokesmen said the strike was fully observed throughout the country except for exempted fields, such as public transportation, EI AI and Arkia airlines, military installations and the health services. But the Manufacturers Association contended that at many factories the employes continued working. It was also reported that workers at large factories shut down the plants but at smaller concerns the employes continued working.
In the Galilee development town of Carmiel, the local Histadrut leader did not call a strike. Instead, he held a meeting during the lunch break, But at Ben Gurion Airport, workers were incensed that they had been exempted from the strike so they held a four-hour strike. This delayed takeoffs for hours and caused a bottleneck at the terminal since thousands of arriving passengers could not get their luggage. Workers at the Communications Ministry were the only government employes to join the strike.
Histadrut Secretary General Yeruham Meshel, who visited some of the larger factories, told the workers that the two-hour strike was a warning to the government that if it does not accept the Histadrut’s demands there will be another strike, this time for an entire day.
Hapoel Hamizrachi and Herut labor organizations condemned the strike, calling it politically motivated. This charge was echoed by Commerce and Industry Minister Gideon Patt who said the strike was a collusion between the Labor Party and the political leadership of Histadrut. He said the strike was an attempt to help the sinking fortunes of the Labor Party.
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.
