The strike against El Al went into its fifth day today with no immediate
prospects for ending it in sight. But Histadrut officials saw a ray of hope in the El Al employes’ agreement to negotiate with management without demanding prior withdrawal of the dismissal notices to 18 flight engineers that triggered the strike last Thursday.
Histadrut is not supporting the strike. But it criticized the airline management for “hasty action” in sending the dismissal notices. Management says its letter was not a dismissal notice but simply a request to Histadrut’s trade unions department to “discuss the dismissals.” The airline contends that the flight engineers will be made redundant when new, more sophisticated aircraft are delivered.
Meanwhile, Israel’s national air carrier remained grounded. Passengers holding El Al tickets in Israel or abroad have been transferred to other airlines or to non-Israeli planes chartered by El Al.
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