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The employees of the "Lehabim Technology" factory received the news of their dismissal last night (Monday) with astonishment.
"They kept claiming that it wasn't going to happen," said Asher Shmueli, chairman of the Western Galilee region of the Histadrut. Since yesterday, Shmueli said, his phone hasn't stopped ringing - either in support, or in offering solutions to the workers of the factory for the production of jet engine blades, founded by Steph Wertheimer. The American owners of the factory, which was previously called "Lehavi Ishkar", last night sent about 900 of the 1,400 employees advance notice of their intention to terminate their employment within about two years.
Shmueli noted that he also worked for a few months at the Ishkar factory, before the army.
"It was something considered, there was pride in the place," he emphasized.
He is worried about the security aspect of the layoffs at the factory, and about the fact that the factory will pass into foreign hands, even if they are American, and more forgotten from the French embargo at the time.
As expected, the human factor worries him no less.
"With the purchase of the factory, the Americans gave a ten-year promise, so it turns out that they meant ten years and not one more day," he said.
"Now eight years have passed, two years left and they are already giving notice that they will be closed, that they will not waste an unnecessary day in Israel."
He added, "The land and the buildings have already been sold to an investment company. They claim that they will continue with the production of blades in Tefen, but that does not change the bleak picture."
According to Shmueli, about 250 workers out of the 900 who are expected to be laid off are residents of the city of Nahariya.
"This will be a very hard blow to the city and the region in general," Shmueli said.
"They have workers from Acre, Karmiel, Ma'alot, Shlomi and the Druze villages of Sara, Samia, Jet, Yanoch and more. Most of these workers are adults, who have been working for 20-30 years, who have nowhere to go. The saddest and most terrible thing is that instead of contributing, they will fall as a burden on the state".
He emphasized, "Not everyone is suitable for high-tech and, in general, there are no new factories in the area that take in workers. What do you expect them to do? To sew textiles? To sell vegetables?".
A local public figure, familiar with the conduct, added that "it was no secret that they were planning changes, and we were constantly being told that they were moving production to Tefan, which even makes sense, but now it turns out that 'along the way' they 'lost' a production line or two."
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"We were proud of the place."
Blade Technology Factory (Photo: Haaretz, Gil Eliyahu)
Benny Ben Shoshan, 42 years old from Moshav Elkosh near Ma'lot Tarshiha, testified that he did not sleep last night.
"Maybe two hours of sleep-no sleep. The head is full of thoughts," said Ben Shushan, married and father of four, the youngest of whom is 6.5 years old and the oldest 14. He came to the factory after the army, "young, fresh and like everyone else, with a desire to develop."
Since then, he has been working there for 17 years, in the field of robotics.
"We saw a technology factory for aircraft blades, and our hearts were filled with pride. We came to work for life," he recalled.
"And here, on one clear day, they did the biggest act of scoundrels to us this week. I am just as outraged by the local administration. I understand that the Americans have economic calculations, but I feel that the local administration has betrayed us."
Ben Shoshan, head of the committee since its establishment, continued, "There were arguments and improper conduct, they said that the factory was not providing what was needed, I stood up and cried out. The management claimed that the situation was good, I was alerted that something was not right."
He shared about his fear of being fired.
"My wife works as a part-time medical secretary, I have a high school diploma and that's it. Everything I know comes from training at the factory, everything is specific to this factory, I acquired a special skill," he said.
"Now only God knows how we will make a living in two years. I don't have any plans. From now on they announced closure. They didn't even sit down with the committee. Most of the workers will go home. I have a house in Moshav. I don't have a mortgage, but like everyone else I have small loans that I have pledged to pay back, And if until today we managed to keep our heads above water, I don't know what will happen in two years, at the age of 44."
He also shared his fear of finding a job in old age.
"Age speaks, and anyone who says no is wrong and misleading. I don't see how I can find something similar. There is a great concern. There are four children to take care of, they want to have a future. The plans have now slipped between hands," he said, "There is a heavy concern about how we will finance them studies beyond high school".
He also adds the fear of sitting at home.
"We worked morning and night shifts. We don't want to get hung up on the employment office, we want to make a decent living. I feel potentially unemployed, afraid of the intermediate state. Afraid to think what people will start doing."
"Takes care of 4 children, wants them to have a future. The plans fell through."
Ben Shoshan (Photo: Yoav Itiel)
64-year-old David Assig, a logistics man at a factory in Nahariya who has been working at the factory for 18 years, was also surprised by the news.
"Thoughts from yesterday are running, the pulse is beating all day. We got slapped," he shared.
"Every morning we would come with joy, we were one family. Now we don't know how to react to the good news. I was self-employed, I left everything and came to the company with the plan to stay until retirement. This will not happen. I have three children, one is married but the groom has two more children. My wife I'm an assistant at a school in the municipality of Acre. We'll probably go to collect alms or to an employment office. We have an apartment, we've finished the mortgage, it's half a consolation, but still we don't see how we'll make it through the month. We have grandchildren, we're helping the girl. How are we going to do it now, we'll sell the the house?".
Moshiko (pseudonym), 53, preferred not to be named and admitted that he was confused by the situation.
"It came with a bang and a shock. Luckily no one had a heart attack," he shared.
"At first everyone thought it was a personal letter, then it became clear the extent of the disaster and that we are all in the same hole, especially that we don't get huge salaries. We are not hi-tech. We work hard."
He continued, "The veterans suffered a lot during periods of work decline, and on the other hand, during wartime, we came to work. To circumvent the instructions, we would print a fake exit card, and continue to work."
He said, "I am amazed at the management and the officials who recognized the loss-making behavior and did not do anything about it. The family here was the bread and water."
"How will we finish the month, sell the house?".
Assig (Photo: Yoav Itiel)
He emphasized that the previous owners of the factory, Steph and Ethan Wertheimer, instilled a sense of family, which remained even after them.
"We worked around the clock, you can't understand it from the outside. Steph was like a father. When the children didn't have a computer, he made sure for us, the common people, that every home would have a computer. I don't know if Steph would have acted differently in this situation. He is also a businessman. But Today, at the age of 53, I look around, the three children from 15 to 27 have grown up and I don't remember how. The wife raised and I was at work around the clock. Like that for 29 years. When I was released from the army I worked a little in physical places, and after a year or two I came. I moved to Nahariya with The move to the factory I moved from the position of a production worker to the position of a manager.
"My whole life has been a struggle for existence and there is another mortgage for 20 years to come. The woman started working part-time in the farm at Nahariya Hospital, but got sick," he sighed.
"Beyond the general problem, many also have one personal problem or another. For me, personally, my health went bad during work, and I'm not the only one. Right now I'm afraid of my health condition, which won't even allow a job interview. Work was everything for me. I failed in contact with the children. Now When I see how they treat us, I regret how I gave my soul. Suddenly we find out that we work for someone completely different from what we thought. Someone who doesn't care about you. Throw us all to the dogs. It's not just me and my story," he concluded, "It's a copy and paste for all of us , everyone is like that."
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