Israeli union wins rise in minimum wage

It means the minimum wage for the private sector in Israel will stand at NIS 5,000 (US$1,252) per month. In the future, the increase will also apply to public sector workers.

The agreemeent between Histadrut Chairman, Avi Nissenkorn, and the Chairman of the Federation of Israeli Economic Organizations, Zvi Oren, was signed at a ceremony on 3 December.

Avi Nissenkorn, Chairman of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, Histadrut, stated:

"Today we bring a real message to employees in Israel. We declared that we will not be satisfied with an increase of only NIS 200 (US$50) and we fulfilled this promise. We promised to pave the way for a dignified life for 700,000 families and we did it.

Under the agreement, it has also been determined that the minimum wage in the future will be 52% of the average wage, and not 47.5% as is customary today.

These achievements join the initiative led by Histadrut to employ workers with disabilities in the public sector and was approved at the beginning of December by the government. According to the decision, by 2017 the number of workers with disabilities in civil services will be no less than 3%. At the end of the period, the government will consider increasing the percentage of workers with disabilities by an additional 2%.

Nissenkorn added:

"This is also a day of celebration for workers with disabilities. I am proud to lead the first organization that made sure to promote an agreement that everyone benefits from - employees and their families, and public services as well, which will receive a new, quality workforce. Histadrut, which sees itself as the largest social organization in Israel, has set a goal for itself to continue to work towards the reduction of social gaps and the eradication of harmful employment phenomena.”

Read more: http://www.histadrut.org.il/index.php?page_id=3395