The Central Committee of Histadrut has unanimously decided that Arab workers in the administered areas have the same rights as Israeli workers, including social benefits, insurance and the right to organize in their place of work. Acting at the suggestion of its secretary general, Yeruham Meshel, the Histadrut plans to establish a special committee to implement the central committee’s decision and to seek ways of granting social and professional services to the workers where they live.
The Histadrut’s decision takes on special significance following an incident at the Dimona fibers plant where 145 Arab workers from the Gaza Strip were dismissed under pressure from Jewish workers, of whom 345 had been layed off. The Jewish workers had been given notice after the plant. which employs almost 1000 workers, decided to close down two of its departments because of the world market freeze on certain types of fibers. Jewish workers demanded that the workers layed off be employed in place of the 145 Arabs. Management yielded to the ultimatum by the Jewish workers.
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.
