Histadrut Calls on Finance Minister to Formulate Compensation and Safety Net

Following the security developments with the launch of Operation "Lion's Roar" and their immediate impact on economic activity, the Acting Chairman of the Histadrut, Roei Yaakov, sent an urgent letter today to the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Yaakov demanded an urgent meeting with employer representatives to formulate an agreed-upon compensation framework that would provide peace of mind and economic security to millions of workers and households in Israel currently facing extreme uncertainty that threatens labor market stability.

In his appeal, Yaakov emphasized that the preemptive strike and Home Front Command instructions have already led to widespread paralysis this morning, as millions of workers were forced to be absent from their workplaces due to the closure of educational institutions, strict defense guidelines, and property damage.

According to him, the government and the Ministry of Finance must act decisively to implement measures that will prevent a rolling employment crisis, led by the creation of an immediate compensation framework that will ensure the payment of workers' wages and indemnification for employers for the loss of workdays due to the security situation.

The Acting Chairman of the Histadrut further noted that there is a vital need to establish a permanent and transparent mechanism to replace temporary "ad-hoc" solutions with a structured compensation mechanism that will operate automatically during emergencies, based on bureaucratic simplicity to ensure the flow of economic oxygen without delay.

Yaakov reminded the Finance Minister that during Operation "Am Lavi," the state successfully promoted principles that created economic certainty for employers and employees, and expressed expectation for similar rapid action this time to strengthen national resilience. He concluded by clarifying that the Histadrut will continue to act responsibly out of concern for the economy's resilience but will not tolerate foot-dragging on an issue so critical to the economic survival of the home front.