Bereaved families in the Tel Aviv area were forced to delay the burial of their loved ones for several hours Tuesday, after members of the local Chevra Kadisha burial society went on strike seeking higher wages.
Some 25 funerals scheduled for the morning did not take place until the afternoon, as employees of the burial society demanded wage increases similar to those granted to their colleagues in other parts of the country.
The workers were protesting wage cuts and proposed layoffs, which were aimed at reducing a $6 million deficit run up by the Tel Aviv burial society.
On Wednesday, Religious Affairs Minister Shimon Shetreet lashed out at what he termed the “scandalous” salaries paid to workers at the Tel Aviv burial society.
According to a report prepared by the ministry, the average salary paid to workers at the burial society during 1994 was some $100,000 per year — about six times the average annual salary paid to Israelis in general.
“I have ordered quick action to reduce the salaries,” Shetreet said.
In response, the burial workers called another work slowdown Wednesday.
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