Jobless workers in Petach Tikvah rioted today, smashing windows and furniture in the local Labor Council offices. A planned march by the 150 protesters on the mayor’s office in the nearby municipal building was stopped by police who dispersed the workers.
They had obtained a police permit for the demonstration and a delegation of the unemployed met with Labor Council officials. Jobless workers in other sections of Israel indicated they were planning protest meetings against continued idleness during Israel’s current economic slump.
A team of experts, representing the Bank of Israel, the Economic Planning Authority and the Israel Treasury, came to the conclusion that unemployment in Israel may rise even higher in 1967 before it declines toward the end of the year. They said that 1966 unemployment averaged 60,000 persons, or 7 percent of the work force, almost double the average of joblessness in 1965.
They also predicted that Israeli production may rise in 1967 by 5 percent, compared with only a 1.2 percent rise in 1966. Prices are expected to go up next year by 5 percent, while wages will rise by only 3 percent.
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.
