Employees of “Egged Transportation” launched a strike, accusing management of failing to reach agreement following six months of negotiations pertaining to a new collective agreement.

Elad residents are impacted by the strike as Egged Transportation serves the community, operating lines inside the city as well as to and from the community. Other areas impacted by the strike include Netanya and Jerusalem corridor communities.

Management explains if the state does not participate in funding a salary increase from 32.60 NIS per hour to 39 NIS per hour, the proposed increase will not occur. In addition, they claim the company wants to reduce its expenditure on wages and drivers in the new agreement limits the granting wage increases to a limited amount of money.

MK (Yahadut Hatorah) spoke out against the strike, telling the media “the chareidi tzibur relies on public transportation more than any other sector in Israel and these strikes cannot be tolerated”. Eichler calls on relevant government officials to act sternly and swiftly to end the strike, which he explains “holds the chareidim hostage due to monetary disputes”.

Egged Transportation sent out drivers who are not striking but hundreds of passengers experienced delays over hours on Sunday morning. The two-day strike will also continue on Monday, 21 Sivan.

Some of the lines impacted by the strike include service between Elad and Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv, Petach Tikvah, Kassam Jct. and Rosh Ha’ayin. In Netanya, the 100, 101 and 102 lines to Yerushalayim via Shapirim Interchange are impacted, as are buses providing service inside and to Yerushalayim in Mevasseret Tzion, Givat Ze’ev, Maale Adumim and yishuvim in the Binyamin Regional Council district in Shomron. In Modi’in, buses to Binyamin region in Shomron are striking as are inner city buses in Asahdod, Ashkelon, Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim, Kiryat Gat, and Kiryat Malachi. Bus service is also impacted in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel as well as the Shar HaNegev Regional Council. The same holds true for intra city buses between Ashkelon, Beersheva, Kiryat Gat and Ofakim.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)