A strike by maintenance crews grounded El Al last night and a near riot occurred at Ben Gurion Airport this morning when hundreds of passengers, unaware of the strike, found that their flights had been cancelled. The angry crowds converged on the El Al ticket counters which had to be closed for a time. But airline officials managed to transfer the passengers to foreign carriers and by the end of the day the pressure was eased.
The workers agreed to resume normal work as of midnight tonight after Histadrut promised to deal with their claims without delay. Airline officials said that if the strike ends, flights will be resumed tomorrow morning. Nevertheless, El Al chartered five Boeing jets today to pick up its passengers stranded at airports in the U.S. and Europe.
The strike stemmed from a demand by maintenance crews that the airline ease their workload by hiring more maintenance workers. El Al said it could not possibly afford that because it had a poor year financially and barely escaped losses.
23-DAY MERCHANT MARINE STRIKE ENDS
Meanwhile, the 23-day strike by licensed merchant marine officers ended over the weekend. It had cost Israel’s shipping companies an estimated IL 50 million. The officers returned to their duties just as the government was about to issue back-to-work orders. They agreed to refer their dispute to a committee of experts which includes legal representatives of the union and shipping companies. The outstanding issue is the pay differential between officers and ratings. The union agreed that if the committee is unable to resolve that matter, a final ruling will be left to Histadrut.
The retreat by the ships officers was viewed in some circles as a possible turning point for Israel’s strike-plagued merchant marine with repercussions on the national labor scene. The officers clearly lost. Their union chief, Capt. Yehoshua Groman, acknowledged this. He told reporters “We found ourselves isolated.” But he expressed hope that there will now be a period of labor peace.
The government is worried, nevertheless, about a work slowdown begun by computer programmers which has delayed the monthly pay checks of government employees. Arrangements have been made with local banks to advance part of the pay to the workers but the delay has already caused resentment among public employees.
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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.
