Vital transportation and communications services came to a standstill today as some 5000 civil service employes staged a 24-hour strike to support their demands for a wage-scale equal to that of engineers. Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir, returning home last night from a two-week visit to the United States, said that the government will not accede to wage demands above the established guidelines.
Sapir warned employes not to expect the government to give in to their wage demands because of the elections this year. The Finance Minister also moved to end the 23-day-old doctors strike. He summoned representatives of the 6000 striking physicians and hospital and sick fund management to a meeting at his office tonight.
Meanwhile there was no telephone service in Israel today and no trains were running. Special buses were chartered to carry servicemen back to their units from week-end leaves. The civil service employes have threatened a general strike beginning July 8 if their demands are not met.
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