Hundreds of companies, including dozens of high-tech companies, will shut down their operations across the country tomorrow (Monday) to allow their employees to strike and protest against the legal reform.
According to the organizers of the protest, thousands of doctors, medical staff, and mental health workers, hundreds of high-tech companies, hundreds of law firms, small businesses, restaurants, lecturers and students, high school students, parents and children, architects and planners, and employees from all industries will sit down tomorrow. and the sectors that are not part of the organization and independently notified employers of absence from work, including at workplaces where the workers are unionized within the Histadrut.
Many hundreds of hi-tech companies intend to strike.
High-tech workers protest, photo: Yehoshua Yosef
However, the largest companies in the economy in various areas of consumption, such as malls, fashion chains, food companies, retail chains and more, have not yet expressed a willingness to shut down their activities, and they are trying not to take a position on the matter.
A senior official in the trade industry explained in a conversation with "Israel Today" why the trade industry does not participate in the strike for the most part: "If there is no end-to-end shutdown, then when you close one chain you send the customers to the stores across the street inside the mall or inside the Power Center. It is impossible to do that In our approach, we tried to be balanced, to be in the middle, we called on both sides to talk."
The source added: "It is possible to close a mall if the owners of the mall close it, we are not allowed to close a store whenever I want, I thereby violate the contract I signed with the mall. That is why it is not that simple to shut down, and this mainly brings us to a place where we take a position, at least A third of the networks are not there."
The Histadrut still does not intervene
Similar to the trading chains, the Histadrut General is also careful not to express a position on the issue.
Officials in the Histadrut said last week that this was a political protest and therefore they are not intervening.
On Thursday, the chairman of the Histadrut Arnon Bar David wrote to the members of the Histadrut: "I use all my power and the power of the Histadrut for real mediation between the parties.
I will use the strength of the Histadrut against any attempt to harm workers' rights, and at the right time."
"I will use the power of the Histadrut against any attempt to harm workers' rights, and at the right time."
Bar David, photo: Yehoshua Yosef
In the meantime, organizations of private business owners are emerging, who have decided, despite the difficulties, to shut down the businesses and allow the workers to protest.
In the restaurant sector, there are individual businesses that are on strike.
It should be noted that these businesses decided to strike despite the economic significance, as they immediately feel the strike in their pockets.
The civil servants who wish to strike also received a reminder last weekend from the salary division of the Ministry of Finance.
"Refreshing instructions from the deputy in charge of wages regarding the absence of employees in the public sector. As is customary, wages will not be paid to an employee who is absent from work unless it is a day off or sick leave," the Treasury statement said.
Shufersal will allow you to take a day off
In the Shufersal network, employees who want to demonstrate and take a day off are allowed, at their own expense.
In the letter written by Uri Waterman, the CEO of Shufersal Group for employees, it is stated that "I would like to make it clear that every employee has the right to demonstrate and express himself and we respect that. Any employee who chooses not to come to work this coming Monday, will be asked to contact the direct manager /e for the purpose of approving a day off.
Allow its workers to strike.
Shufersel, photo: Yossi Zeliger
More in the field of restaurants: there will also be a strike today at the Bichicalta restaurant.
According to Shani Marks and Zana, one of the owners of the place, "We believe in the democracy of the State of Israel and therefore we think that it is necessary to give our employees the opportunity to go to Jerusalem to protest. It will be almost impossible if we do not close. It was important for us to say that as a Tel Aviv institution we have a clear opinion regarding this matter This is not an easy decision. The month of February is a difficult month anyway and when we are closed it is significant, but we decided it was the right thing to do."
The spokesperson of the restaurant union said: "The union does not have a mandate from its members to take a position or alternatively take active action on civil issues however controversial they may be."
As mentioned in the shopping malls and in the retail sector there was no declaration of a strike.
According to Nir Shmol, CEO of the Shanir company that markets commercial space for shopping malls, "Unlike other businesses such as high-tech, law firms and architectural firms, there was no call from the big companies to shut down the shopping malls and the economy.
I think company owners did sit, but individually."
"I think that company owners did sit, but individually."
Nir Shmol,
According to Ilan Shanhav, the owner of Hutam Coffee in Ramat Hasharon, "I allow my employees to strike. 90 percent of my employees have decided to strike and some of them will go to Jerusalem. It is possible that our place will operate in a reduced format in the morning of take-away only because there are those who want to work and we will not prevent them. The employees who strike They will be paid on the basis of vacation days. I have nine workers who are on strike and two who are not."
Will the strikers get paid tomorrow?
Attorney Michael Ayalon, senior partner and director of the labor law department - Gornitsky GNY law firm, tells Israel Hayom:
The "strike" planned for Monday does not meet the rules required for a strike in labor relations.
That is, it is not a strike that was announced by a labor organization in the framework of a collective economic dispute between the employer and the workers and the workers' organization.
Therefore, workers who will sit down tomorrow will not be entitled to the protections to which workers are entitled during a "classic" strike.
In fact, this is a civil organization, so an employee who wants to be absent from work tomorrow will have to get permission from his employer to do so, or use a day off from his accumulated quota.
In some workplaces, employees have the right to use a "declaration day", and it is possible that this day can be used for tomorrow's absence.
Under the circumstances, we recommend that employees who plan to be absent from work tomorrow arrange in advance with the employer how the absence will be classified (time off at the expense of accumulated quota, paid absence, severance pay, etc.).
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