Israel braces for open-ended walkout

Israel braces for an indefinite strike by local authority workers in protest to budget cuts while Tel Aviv seems unable to reach a timely deal with local authorities.

The move will shut down municipal services, offices that normally receive members of the public, social welfare services and clubs for children and the elderly, as well as veterinary services.

The largest ever strike by the local authorities — which will include Lod, Ashdod, Haifa and the Haifa suburb of Nesher — will also affect fire fighting and rescue operations, which are not supposed to halt their services.

The Union of Local Authorities (ULA) is objecting to cuts imposed on funding of local authorities despite the increased financial burden created by services they have to provide, and are demanding a reduction in water prices as well as a budget increase for schools and local authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting with the finance and interior ministers and the ULA on late Saturday in a last minute effort to prevent the extensive walkout.

An earlier meeting between the ULA and ministers failed on Friday when the cabinet ministers accused the union’s chairman, Shlomo Buhbut, of trying to stage a strike at any cost.

The ULA reacted by blaming Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz for not meeting any of their demands regarding education funding, social welfare funding, equalization payments to municipalities with revenue losses and water prices.

“We are fighting for the quality of the education our children will receive, over the price of water, which has tripled to the consumer over the past three years without any justification and over the budgets of the authorities,” Buhbut said.