Workers in Ben-Gurion International Airport feel they are being overworked, leading to work stoppages on Monday and Tuesday 19 and 20 Iyar 5774. Employees shut down Terminal 1, compelling all flights to use Terminal 3. They also refused to run the new security inspection unit known as HBS. This automated scanner began operating on March 1, 2014 in an evaluation stage.

The Airport Authority took the airport union to the labor court in an effort to compel workers to return to their posts. Union officials report that the signing of the Open Skies Agreement signed by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has led to more flights and passengers, significantly overloading workers. Union officials explain additional staff must be hired. At present, airport workers are overloaded and they have not received any salary increase to compensate them in anyway.

Union officials told the Tel Aviv Labor Court that at no time were workers instructed to carry out sanctions, insisting there were none. They did admit that persons manning the HBS system were instructed to use the old system of security checks, which led to long lines in the airport on Tuesday. Union officials told the court that the Airport Authority has failed to take the necessary measures to address the increase in flights and passengers and the delays are not the fault of workers.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)