Employment Service employees will report to work on Wednesday but they will not open to receive people seeking to register for unemployment or other services and they will not answer telephones. Labor officials explain they cannot tolerate the NIS 40 million cut in their budget, which leaves them unable to operate.

In the 2008 state budget, the employment service budget was slashed from NIS 180 million to NIS 140 million. In addition labor leaders explain, the government gave a handsome budget to a private firm, which they fear will eventually replace them entirely.

Yossi Farchi, who heads the nation’s employment services, stated it pains him to implement sanctions but he and his colleagues are left with no other alternative at present.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)