The union representing drivers of the Jerusalem light rail have announced on Sunday morning 17 Menachem Av they will be striking, without prior warning. The strike surrounds a dispute surrounding negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
Management responded angrily, accusing the union of using the strike to increase pressure towards obtaining a deal, adding that the strike will seriously impact the lives of so many Israelis who are vacationing and therefore, the union is trying to advance its cause on the backs of city residents and visitors.
Light rail management promises to use all legal means at its disposal to obtaining a back-to-work order to prevent the strike. The Transportation Ministry is going to add buses to local city routes to compensate for the light rail strike.
The following measures are being taken by the ministry to compensate for the strike;
• Increased service on the 20, 21, 24, and 27 line up until the central bus station.
• Short buses will be replaced by accordion buses.
• Inspectors from Egged and CityPass will operate to assist in facilitating boarding at bus stops.
It is pointed out the timing of the strike is not coincidental as today, (August 1st), the new improved service on the light rail was to begin, guaranteeing a train within a maximum of six minutes throughout most hours of the day.
CityPass, which operates the light rail, explains it is unacceptable that the union believes it can improve its bargaining position by holding the light rail’s 140,000 daily riders hostage.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
There should be a law, like in the United States, that public employees who strike should be fired and replaced. President Reagan fired the air traffic controllers who struck and improved the public’s confidence in their government and set the tone for public service. In New York City when the transit workers struck their union was fined one million dollars a day and their union leader was sent to jail. We need this here. The culture of public service is sorely lacking in Israel.