Dockworkers ended a crippling work slowdown at Israel’s three seaports today. They accepted a government offer of a 42 percent wage hike, originally proferred Sunday, after a meeting with Histadrut representatives this morning. The agreement followed an ultimatum issued at an emergency session of the Cabinet yesterday which ordered the longshoremen to end their slowdown by Wednesday or face serious consequences.
While officials were trying to assess the losses incurred by the week-long dock slowdown, another slowdown was begun today by 6000 postal workers and cable and telex employes. The issue is a demand for “special allowances” for postmen along the lines of the bonuses paid aviation workers. The slowdown was begun in the midst of negotiations and caught postal officials by surprise. Baruch Rohald, Tel Aviv Postmaster, said the slowdown was worse than a strike because it created complete chaos in mail handling.
Another development on the docks today was a decision by security authorities to allow Arab workers from the West Bank to unload a cargo of Turkish cement from a ship at Haifa port. The cargo was consigned to a merchant in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip but was diverted to Haifa when the ship’s captain refused to anchor in Gaza’s open roadstead. The slowdown at Haifa created a further delay and the consignee claims he has already lost IL 40,000.
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