The ongoing strike by radio and television technicians has forced the managing committee of the Israel Broadcasting Authority to take the unprecedented step of reducing both the number of daily broadcasts and the number of employes. The reduction in radio broadcasting was understood to include cutbacks of hourly news and the elimination of Saturday morning programs. Television broadcasts have been going off the air earlier than usual since the strike began several weeks ago.
Information Minister Aharon Yariv said several days ago that he might suggest to the government that all radio and television broadcasts be halted “for a certain period of time” while a thorough examination is conducted into the working relations with the Broadcasting Authority.
Yitzhak Livini, director general of the IBA, said the core of the problem is the absence of a common grading system for all the professions in the media. He added, however, that most of the employes oppose such a grading. Yariv said that this was a possible solution but it required examination. The technicians themselves have indicated that they want a grading system similar to the one journalists got earlier this year. Yariv stated that submitting to this demand would cost the government some IL 300 million more a year and would be contrary to present efforts to curb inflation.
The IBA managing committee resolution recommending reductions in broadcasts and employes was adopted unanimously but details of the proposed cuts were not disclosed. The committee suggested that the Broadcasting Authority plenary decide how to implement the recommendation.
Meanwhile, the technicians are waiting to see how the Histadrut will react to the committee’s recommendation. A spokesman for the technicians said, “If we have no trade union behind us we will have to stop the strike.” However, Zalman Shenkman, national secretary of the Television Technicians Union, said the committee’s proposed measures would not frighten the union.
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