Labor Dispute Declared at Haifa Port by Union

The workers united under the union in the Haifa area have declared a labor dispute, claiming that for many months they have been dealing with an interim management that is delaying the signing of the collective agreement. The labor dispute affects all workers - about 700 people. According to the allegations raised by the workers in the Labor Court, the port management hires contractor workers to do their work, while the management allegedly refuses to recruit new workers, and they are forced to work with a shortage of manpower that harms them. The workers also claim that the management is making structural changes in the port and has rented storage areas to expand operations without updating the workers and without reaching agreements with them on the implications of the changes. For example, the management has expanded the storage of imported cars, an activity that requires less manpower, which has led to a reduction in the working hours of some of the port workers and to a detriment to their livelihood and also to the safety of the workers.

The workers also claim through the union that the management has made changes in their employment conditions without consent, while harming existing arrangements. According to the workers, the management has given the workers a short ultimatum to the workers' representatives to choose between premium formulas and announced a significant change in the work formula - all with short notice that does not allow the workers to examine things and make an informed decision.

According to the union, negotiations are taking place but without success. The union stated that "currently there is a labor dispute around the work processes at Haifa Port and the way labor relations are conducted. We hope not to use it. The dispute is a means and not an end and we are having a conversation with the port management with the aim of reaching understandings that will strengthen the port's capabilities and return it to a stable and correct business track."