VZCZCXRO3755
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #0907 0821157
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231157Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0184
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000907 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB IS PGOV
SUBJECT: MUTED NATIONAL STRIKE IN ISRAEL CALLED OFF IN 
FIRST DAY 
 
REF: A) 2006 TEL AVIV 4695 B) 2007 TEL AVIV 835 - 
 
     NOTAL C) 2007 TEL AVIV 866 
 
¶1. (SBU) The national labor congress Histadrut called off 
Israel's national strike March 21, less than 24 hours after 
it began.  Numerous public services expected to join the 
strike did not, and the "land, sea, and air" shutdown that 
Histadrut contacts had predicted to Labor Reporting Officer 
was full of exceptions during the short-lived walkout.  The 
quick settlement allowed thousands of free-spending British 
soccer fans to arrive for a Euro 2008 qualifying match, and 
some pundits noted that PM Olmert and many Histadrut members 
are, coincidentally, huge soccer fans.  Anger remains that 
many municipal authority heads responsible for the crisis 
still remain in office, and it remains unclear how local 
authorities beset by economic downturns, mismanagement, and 
corruption will meet future payrolls. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The media reported Olmert complained that Histadrut 
chairman Eini had become "enamored with this drama" and that 
Histadrut had no reason to strike.  Government officials were 
quoted as saying that the Government and Histadrut had 
essentially reached a deal before the strike began that 
included full payments of missing salaries to all municipal 
employees, except for a few "problematic" municipalities that 
had more complex legal issues to resolve.  Yedioth Ahronoth, 
the most widely circulated tabloid in Israel, reported that 
sources in the Prime Minister's Office believe Eini was 
forced to stop the strike after learning that he had lost the 
support of the Labor Court and was in danger of being in 
contempt of court. Press reports had quoted Eini as blaming 
the government for "changing their minds" when they were 
close to an agreement.  Both sides reached agreement the 
afternoon of March 21, and Israeli public sector employees, 
including transportation sector workers, returned to work on 
March 22. 
 
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Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
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JONES