Ben Gurion Border Worker Strike Called Off

Workers at Ben Gurion Airport had threatened Sunday to go on strike Tuesday, demanding that they be paid back wages that they say have been delayed. A strike by the workers, who man the border-crossing stations, would prevent any entries into or exits from the country. Later Sunday, the Regional Labor Court in Tel Aviv issued an injunction until further notice against the workers’ strike. 

The workers have been demanding what they say is money that is owed them for years. According to the union representing workers, the Treasury has failed to update their salaries, even after new contracts were negotiated granting them raises. “It should be noted that the salaries of border workers is not high as it is, as most earn between NIS 6,000 and NIS 8,000 a month.” According to the union, the problem has been ongoing since 2008.

In response to the threat, the Finance Ministry said that it has been “working for months to solve the problem. The large majority of workers have been paid,” and it is only 13 workers that have yet to be paid. “All the workers are set to get paid by July 1,” the ministry said.