Labor relations at the City of Bnei Brak are looking up.
After months of tension that began with the recovery program
and reached a climax two months ago when the City Council
unanimously decided to send dismissal notices to 403
employees, there has been marked improvement following an
agreement between the municipality and the Organization of
Municipality Clerks' and Workers' Committees in which the two
sides pledged to make an effort to achieve a comprehensive
recovery program.
City of Bnei Brak Secretary and Spokesman Avrohom Tannenbaum
said two months ago the City Council, as part of the budget
approval process, unanimously decided to accept Mayor Rabbi
Yissochor Frankentahl's proposal for an across-the-board 7
percent budget cut, which would save NIS 40 million ($9
million) and increase revenue by NIS 10 million ($4.5
million).
The decision came in response to the budget deficit and
difficulty obtaining bank credit -- the result of the ongoing
economic crisis with a concomitant decrease in revenue as
well as a drastic cut in government grants during the past
two years. The recovery plan included cutbacks both in wages
and activities.
Toward the end of May, 403 dismissal notices were mailed to
workers, primarily in the field of education since May 31st
is the deadline for firing teachers. The need for dismissals
was largely the result of constant, drastic budget cuts by
the Education Ministry, particularly at "recognized but
unofficial" institutions, which constitute the lion's share
of City of Bnei Brak educational institutions.
In response to the dismissal notices the Organization of
Workers' Committees turned to the Tel Aviv District Labor
Court (presumably under rabbinical guidance) to request a
restraining order for the dismissal notices. The City
prepared a written defense for the upcoming hearing to
explain the budget constraints that compelled it to take such
action.
Following intensive negotiations between representatives from
the recovery plan team and the Workers' Committees an
agreement was signed by Mayor Frankentahl, Bnei Brak-Ramat
Gan District Union Secretary Ofer Yamin and Municipality
Clerks' and Workers' Committee Chairmen Moshe Banda and
Shlomo Guri.
According to the agreement since the workers filed a suit in
the Tel Aviv Labor Court against the City for the annulment
of the 403 dismissal notices the Histadrut, the committees
and the City will conduct negotiations in order to reach a
comprehensive recovery agreement. Toward this end the sides
are to negotiate for a few hours every day, making genuine
efforts to reach an accord on cuts in wages and activities in
order to bring about an immediate recovery program with
complete disclosure and producing the documents needed to
execute the recovery program.
It was decided that 85 percent of the dismissal notices would
be void and the Union would withdraw its case without asking
for court costs. Discussions would be held to consider the
remaining 15 percent of workers, applying policies of not
employing workers in places that are closing and "last in is
the first out."
