Local government protest: Dozens of garbage trucks block a street in front of the Knesset 26.02.23 (Photo: Roni Kanfo)
The Contractors' Association and the Foundation for the Encouragement of the Construction Industry petitioned the High Court to immediately stop the strike in the local authorities. In the petition they submitted, they claim that the strike is stopping about 41% of the construction and occupancy of the apartments throughout Israel. At noon, the 15th Forum decided to freeze the strike for the time being, but the contractors believe that they have no It included the authority to disable planning committees, and therefore the High Court of Justice is required to give a principled answer to this issue.
The president of the Association of Builders of the Land Builders, Raul Sargo said in response, "Each day of a strike that paralyzes the planning and licensing of construction in the major cities in Israel costs the economy NIS 100 million and a month of strike will cost NIS 2.2 billion."
Anarchy in local government?
About a week and a half ago, the 15th Forum organization called for a strike in the planning institutions of the local authorities.
Today, after a week and a half of a strike paralyzing the approval of construction plans, the issuing of permits for the start of construction that is awaiting execution and the occupancy of new apartments whose construction has been completed, the Association of Contractors Boni Ha'aretz and the Foundation for the Encouragement and Development of the Construction Industry petitioned the High Court demanding an immediate halt to the strike. According to their approach, the local authorities do not own Authority to stop the activity of local planning committees.
The petition was submitted against the 18 largest local authorities in Israel: "The 15th Forum" and 3 other local authorities: Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Bat Yam, who decided on their own to violate the law by declaring a strike in the engineering departments of the municipalities and shutting down the local committees working alongside them.
According to the petition, the only reason for the shutdown, which paralyzes a large part of the construction and establishment of infrastructure in the country, is the dissatisfaction of the mayors of the most powerful municipalities in Israel with the memorandum of the Economic Plan Law (the State Budget and the Arrangements Law) that is being discussed in the Knesset and the government's desire to advance the legislative procedures.
In the petition, the representatives of the construction and infrastructure industry in Israel claim: "In the eyes of the respondents, several chapters in the memorandum concerning changes in the powers of the local authorities and their funding sources are inappropriate. Therefore, they have taken a false liberty for themselves to carry out a well-planned anarchy, a deliberate disruption from above, in order to impose their judgment on the government and the state, Which will be the price that others will have to bear."
"They took us captive"
The president of the Ha'aretz Builders Contractors Association, Raul Sargo said: "The damage caused by this wild strike to the public of contractors and apartment buyers is severe. Since last week, local committees do not receive visitors, do not issue construction permits that allow to start building houses, and have completely stopped providing occupancy forms for buildings. The municipalities have taken captive the Anyone who builds or waits for an apartment in the jurisdiction of these cities due to a whim and an attempt to 'muscle' in front of the Knesset and the government.
According to Sargo: "The damage estimate from the closure of the licensing and planning institutions in the 18 largest cities in Israel is estimated at over 100 million shekels per day. If the strike lasts a month, it will cost the economy 2.2 billion shekels. These are cities where approximately 41% of construction in Israel takes place. Stopping the activity of the industry The construction and infrastructure causes a loss of industry investments (the value of the construction products) in the amount of NIS 238 million and NIS 5.2 billion per month. In addition, according to our estimate, the overhead and financing costs for apartments whose delivery is postponed amounts to approximately NIS 9 million per day and 200 million shekels per month."
In summary, in the petition, the Association of Contractors Boni Ha'aretz and the Foundation for the Encouragement and Development of the Construction Industry demand to declare that the decisions of these authorities to disrupt the work of the local planning and construction committees, which operate in their jurisdictions, are illegal, to issue an order instructing them to act within the limits of their powers, in order to restore work order The local committees are entitled to give any additional relief, which seems right and just, in the circumstances of the case.
The 15th Forum responded, "Last night, the Arrangements Law was passed in first reading, when all the demands of the local government were not respected. However, since no discussions are expected in the Knesset on the Arrangements Law until Passover anyway, the 15th Forum decided to end the strike for the time being, And after the holiday, he will meet to decide on the continuation of the fight against the Settlements Law."
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