The general strike that paralyzed El Al last Thursday ended 48 hours later following the reinstatement of six maintenance workers’ committee members fired earlier for staging an unauthorized work stoppage. El Al board chairman Avraham Shavit rescinded the dismissal notices under the threat of sympathy strikes by 13 major trade unions that would have brought Israel’s entire economy to a halt.
While Israel’s national air carrier was operating again, the brief strike cost the financially beleaguered company hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and its future remained uncertain. Shavit himself came under fire from fellow board members for giving in to the workers.
During the crisis, the El Al board was seriously considering shutting down the airline and reorganizing it on a tighter basis that would eliminate the multiplicity of workers committees. Shavit obtained labor’s agreement to a retrenchment plan to stem the company’s losses. But it was rejected by Transport Minister Haim Landau who sent word from his hospital bed–where he is recovering from a leg amputation–that he was not prepared to grant El Al additional government funds under those conditions.
As a result, the El Al employes have petitioned a labor court to nullify the compromise agreement on grounds that the government’s attitude made it a “dead letter.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
