More than 1,000 Jewish refugees due in Haifa from France tonight or tomorrow aboard the French steamers Cairo City and the Champollion may be diverted to Tel Aviv, although there are no adequate docking facilities there, because Haifa dockers went out on strike yesterday in sympathy with striking railway man.
Continued efforts by the Government to end the strike of 50,000 railway, air, postal, telephone, telegraph and other government workers have been unsuccessful. A spokesman for the strikers said today that they were prepared to stay out until their demands for a higher basic wage and better working conditions are met. “There is 100 percent unity in our ranks,” he declared.
The possibility that the work stoppage might spread was seen tonight when municipal workers in Jerusalem and laborers at the Haifa oil refinery threatened to join the walkout. The 15,000 refinery employees are demanding a wage increase to meet the rising cost of living.
The Jerusalem general post office is bursting with mail, which has been accumulating for ten days. Although a small amount has been sorted, most of the public is acceding to the strikers’ request that they refuse to call for it. Limited rail service has been resumed with troops operating freight trains carrying food and fuel.
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