Representatives of the government and government-employed doctors agreed today that Uzi Elam, Israel Atomic Energy Commission chairman, serve as arbitrator of the issues in the doctors’ strike which ended over two weeks ago in an agreement to seek binding arbitration.
The basic issues he will deal with are the size of salary increases and the period of time over which they must be paid and the length of the work week for doctors on duty at hospitals. There are other relatively minor technical points.
Elam now has 40 days in which to present his recommendations. He will be assisted by Hillel Dudai, representing the Treasury, and Dr. Haim Zakuk, deputy chairman of the Israel Medical Association, acting on behalf of the doctors.
The selection of Elam, a reserve Brig. Gen., ended the threat of a renewed strike by doctors who had accused the government of deliberately delaying the appointment of an arbitrator. But it was the doctors who reportedly rejected 30 candidates proposed by the government. The Attorney General, for reasons not disclosed, was said to have vetoed other names agreed to by the doctors and government representatives.
Meanwhile, administrative and technical employes of the Health Ministry announced that they will stage a second day-long “warning strike” at hospitals and Ministry offices tomorrow. They walked out for 24 hours last week to press demands for the implementation of a 10-year-old government promise to equalize their pay and working conditions with those of employes of Kupat Holim, the Histadrut sick-fund.
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.
