Workers across Israel are ready to strike on a potentially unprecedented scale after the government on Monday passed the first bill in a package of legal reforms that critics say could end democracy, a union leader told The National.
Peter Lerner, a senior official in Israel's biggest labour union, Histadrut, also singled out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for missing “the historic opportunity to heal our nation and bring Israel back to sanity,” after he rejected a last-ditch compromise package co-ordinated by the union.
The government’s late rejection of the proposals paved the way for it to pass legislation that ends judges' ability to strike down parliamentary legislation that is deemed “unreasonable”.
The bill’s passage aggravated mass protests that have been taking place across the country for 29 weeks.
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested throughout Monday and early Tuesday as thousands attempted to block roads and access to the parliament in Jerusalem.
The government’s success came despite hope, until the very last moments, that a compromise could be reached before the legislation was passed.
“We placed a suggestion on the table, met the prime minister and engaged with all of the front-running political parties to try and find a compromise,” Mr Lerner said.
“People were celebrating it. We felt that there was almost no daylight between the different sides. But on Monday afternoon, the prime minister’s party announced that they did not accept the proposal.”
Mr Lerner’s organisation is now issuing a Declaration of a Labour Dispute, which sets in motion the process for calling a general strike if the union’s demands are not met by the government within 15 days.
Red lines that could provoke a strike by the union include the firing the attorney general and government plans for huge government reform of the selection of judges.
A strike is likely to have unprecedented consequences for the government, Mr Lerner believes.
“There have been national general strikes in the past. What is unique about this is that there is huge consensus not only within the world of labour but also within business. If this strike is done in concert with business organisations, it could therefore be of an unprecedented magnitude.”
“The potential laws that they are talking about would have a direct impact on workers,” he added.
Despite growing consensus, Mr Lerner highlighted that trade unions must strike a fine balance, given that many workers are against action and that the government is democratically entitled to enact policy, as well as the strong anti-union sentiment already held by many coalition members.
Another challenge is shaping a strike in a manner that would be effective against an increasingly emboldened government.
Mr Lerner praised a rare 24-hour strike by the Israeli Medical Association on Tuesday, which shut down large swathes of the country’s healthcare system.
“I think the medical strike is very important. Other key affiliates of ours such as social workers have declared similar steps.” he said.
“But unfortunately, they don’t have impact on policy. They do send a clear message, but our wider strike efforts must always have a larger, achievable goal, which is why we need to focus not on simply disruption, but changing the direction of things.”
“Our message to the government is very clear: progress with broad agreement or face serious consequences. We can’t allow deeper division and polarisation in the country.”
