Huge strike on buses tomorrow: "Merav Michaeli abuses drivers"

Thousands of bus drivers sat in many cities between 10:00 and 12:00 in protest of their terms of employment.

Many traffic loads are expected in areas where there will be a strike.

"Michaeli continues to abandon us and refuses to meet with us" |

The complete list of cities

Keenan Cohen

16/06/2022

Thursday, 16 June 2022, 17:30 Updated: 23:07

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In the video: Attack on a bus driver in Kiryat Bialik (Walla system!)

Thousands of bus drivers unionized by the Histadrut sat down tomorrow (Friday) in protest of their terms of employment.

The strike will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end two hours later, the peak hours during which parents are already picking up children from educational settings.

The cities where public transportation services will be affected are Jerusalem, Netanya, Ashdod, Petah Tikva, Rosh HaAyin, Yavne, Bnei Brak, Gan Yavne, Beer Sheva, Ariel, Beit Shemesh, the Samaria Regional Council and the Ben Gurion Airport-Jerusalem lines. Heavy traffic jams are expected Yesterday

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the drivers informed the Labor Court that they intend to strike, claiming that "Transport Minister Merav Michaeli continues to abandon us and is not willing to meet with us to improve our wages and take care of our safety and well-being."

More on Walla!

• The data make it clear: Public transportation in Israel is heading for disaster.

  And where is the Ministry of Transportation?

• In protest of drivers' wages: a strike this morning on buses across the country

• Michaeli made big statements, but on the ground the situation only got worse

• Every Thursday: benefits and attractions for only 10 NIS - only in the Walla!

The strike comes due to the huge shortage of public transport drivers (Photo: Kobi Liani)

"Unfortunately, the minister did not have time for the drivers' pleas to meet with them and resolve their distress," the Histadrut said.

"We went on several unlimited strikes until the minister woke up and took care of the public who are on the road for 14 hours a day and hold Israeli transportation on their shoulders. It is time for the minister to remember that she is supposed to represent the working class and not just treat their air conditioner.

The bus drivers' organization said that "the Minister of Transportation continues to abuse tens of thousands of bus drivers, abandons them to pee in bottles and buckets, and ignores any contact with her. We tried to reach a dialogue, but Michaeli is probably busy with politics. Oh, for the same shame. "

More on Walla!

Do not wait for the Minister of Transport: Kavim raises the wages of its drivers

To the full article

A resident of Safed attacked a bus driver who commented that he did not pay for the trip (Photo: official website, the drivers' organization, Histadrut Leumit)

The strike comes amid a huge shortage of public transport drivers that has only intensified in recent years.

Attempts by public transportation operators to encourage drivers to sit behind the wheel through relatively generous economic incentives, and even a budget set for it by the Department of Transportation, have shattered on the ground the reality in which drivers are forced to function.

Even the opportunity offered by the Corona period to put the public transport system in a state of emergency and reinforce the ranks was missed.

Zvika Zakaria, a Superbus driver, said: "I invite the finance officials to be in my shoes today. To start at 03:30 in the morning and finish at 09:00. To see my childhood only on weekends. In some places we have built refreshment stations. Very nice. But "There are no drivers, and I am obliged to drive from the hot until the soul leaves. Passes by the refreshment stations and does not get to use them. We have to fight for our right to normal hours? After all, every driver who tears himself endangers himself and the passengers."

The chairman of the works committee at Electra Afikim, Raid Mash'al, added that "we are proud to see more drivers joining our struggle.

Every strike is also a small strike helpful.

For us, who drive in Jerusalem, getting on a bus is a battlefield.

You are separated from the children and do not know if you will see them.

Every week a case of violence and every week the police close the case out of lack of public interest.

How does that make sense?

When attacked the state doctor shouts rightly.

But attacking a driver and endangering passengers, how can it be that they are moving to the agenda?

We will continue to fight until the state understands that without us there is no public transportation. "

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