El Al Workers Storm Airline’s Hq

Scores of El Al employes stormed the company’s headquarters at Ben Gurion Airport today, accusing the airline’s management and the government of refusing to negotiate with them in good faith on the future of the airline. Barricades of burning tires blocked roads approaching the airport, creating traffic chaos.

A number of protestors broke into the fourth floor offices of the El Al president and board chairman. Noisy arguments ensued but there was no violence and the management decided not to call the police. A spokesman for the workers said they would call a strike of those El Al employes who were not sent on forced furloughs when the management suspended operations six weeks ago.

A strike would involve mainly ground hostesses for El Al ticket holders transferred to chartered foreign planes and drivers of El Al buses who transport the passengers of all airlines to and from the airport.

AWAITING FATE OF AIRLINE

The fate of the grounded carrier will be decided within the next few weeks. The Cabinet decided last Sunday to put the airline into voluntary liquidation unless its employes agree to far-reaching changes in labor-management relations. A three week deadline was set. The El Al board of directors has scheduled a shareholders meeting for November 17 to take the final step toward voluntary liquidation.

But that would only be a formality inasmuch as the government holds 98 percent of El Al shares. The balance are held by Histadrut and by Zim, the national shipping company which is itself government-owned.

As of yesterday six of the eight El Al workers committees and Histadrut had agreed to continue negotiations on management terms. The Pilots Association held out. It is meeting today to decide whether to accept management principles on which any new work contract would be based.