Unions are the answer to COVID unemployment and work disputes - opinion

• Author: PETER LERNER
• Published date: 06 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Indeed, the Histadrut, and the workers of Israel, more than 100 years ago, laid the foundations for the state yet to be born. Medical services, education, finance, construction, culture, sport, and much more.

The organized workers, under the union, ensured that when David Ben-Gurion, the Histadrut's first chairman, wanted to declare independence, the state systems and apparatus required already existed.

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

>

The Histadrut and the workers of Israel have played a critical role in advancing workers' rights, national insurance, hours of work, annual vacation, sick pay, maternity leave, protection of young workers, equality in the workplace, wage protection, minimum wages and safer workplaces. The workers and the representative union give people a decent and respectable safety net, preventing exploitation and standing up for the abused.

As Biden spoke, he also rightly pointed out, "Union members get higher wages, better benefits, like health insurance and paid leave, protections against discrimination and harassment, and a safer and healthier workplace." Today, the Histadrut is working to increase the minimum wage to NIS 6000, from 5300, not just dues-paying members, but for the workforce in its entirety. In Israel, many feel overworked and underpaid. The Histadrut maintains that 42 hours of work per week is way too much. Therefore, we are appealing to government and employer organizations to reduce the hours – 40 hours per week is still a long workweek but is around the average of the OECD. This reduction, we believe, will increase productivity and improve life/work balance for all workers.

Despite the relatively decent manging of the health pandemic, Israel has yet to overcome the economic crisis. There are mounting workplace disputes, in places like El Al, the Alpha telecommunications company and Israel Railways. Thousands of daycare staff are striking and protesting and the self-employed are scrambling out of the crisis but still without a safety net for the next wave of national emergency.

There are some 70,000 unemployed over the age of 45, expected to stop receiving benefits and with very few employment prospects. In September, 338,000 people were unemployed, and the unemployment rate was 7.9%. There is no denying that the health and economic crisis of the past 18 months has led to an unprecedented loss of jobs and...