The Histadrut Labor Federation is expanding its postal strike to other agencies in solidarity with 1,500 full-time postal workers across the country whose fates still hang in the balance.
The government is intending to lay off the workers and replace them with contract workers instead, who will receive no benefits attached to their salaries. At issue is the question of how to make the Israel Postal Company profitable – which at present, it is not.
The nation’s labor union says it will extend its job action on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to include workers at the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) as well as the ports and the Justice Ministry.
Workers at the state-owned port in Haifa were already out on strike by Monday, shutting down a major gateway of trade — but the closure was not due to the postal strike. Rather, the walkout came in response to a government plan to build competing, private ports.
Foreign mail will continue to be blocked from entering the country as part of the general postal strike, however..