Trade union again declares national labor dispute

The latest declaration means that trade unions can declare a general strike in two weeks. The Trade Union House of Representatives declared last Thursday ( 8th Sept.) a national labor dispute.
 
The latest declaration is in protest of the large spending cuts decided upon by the government in the 2005 budget.
 
The significance of the declaration is that the Trade Union will have the option, if decided, of declaring a general strike in two weeks' time after the Jewish high holidays.
 
If the Trade Union decides to proceed with a general strike, it will include the whole public sector: Government Ministries, local government, the National Insurance Institute, the ports and airports, Income Tax, the courts, and also large parts of the private sector, including the banking sector Mr. Amir Perez, Trade Union chairman said to the press that the government was doing very little to stop the non-payment of wages to local authority workers.
 
The non payment of wages is, according to Mr. Perez, one of the main reason for calling the strike.