Histadrut, government near accord to end massive strike

JERUSALEM, Dec. 7 (JTA) — The general strike that has crippled Israel for five days appeared to be nearing an end Sunday night. The Histadrut labor federation suspended the strike after Histadrut and Treasury officials agreed to a compromise proposal. Workers had been protesting the government’s refusal to honor a pension agreement signed with the previous Labor government. Histadrut chairman Amir Peretz announced that he and the finance minister had agreed to a proposal put forward by the president of the national labor court. “If the document is agreed upon by this evening, we will be able to declare an end to the action by the workers,” Peretz told a news conference. Peretz said that under the agreement, the finance minister had agreed to most pension issues and to consulting with workers on privatization plans. Final approval of the suspension was given at a meeting of the Histadrut’s large trade unions. The strike, which began on Wednesday, shut down government offices, air and rail service, the stock exchange and banks. Thousands of travelers were stranded at Ben-Gurion Airport for several days, and Israeli Aviation Authority officials estimated that about 15,000 Israelis were unable to return home. At the center of the strike was Finance Minister Ya’acov Ne’eman’s refusal to honor collective agreements the Histadrut signed with the previous Labor government shortly before last year’s election. Likud officials had maintained that the agreements were a ploy to gain votes and had refused to honor them. Ne’eman said he hoped “the nightmare imposed on the public is over.” “There has been irreversible damage, to exports, tourism and Israel’s image abroad,” Ne’eman told reporters. A spokesman for Israel’s manufacturer’s association maintained that the strike had cost the economy more than $570,000.