Tax Authority Workers Remain on Strike

A strike by the Tax Authority entered its third day Friday, as officials of the Authority’s Income Tax and Property Tax departments remained at home. According to union leaders, the Authority has been implementing innovations in the workplace that are likely to harm the career paths of workers in both departments.

The changes have also affected the workload of employees, who find themselves facing more bureaucratic procedures than previously, the union said. One program that was recently instituted, the union said, aims to provide a wider range of experience for employees, assigning them to different tasks in various offices. But taking them away from the jobs they are good at and from their home offices will harm their possibility of advancement, as they will have less experience and less time working on the projects they are best at.

According to union officials, Authority management has chosen to undertake these actions “without consultation with workers, on a unilateral basis. The actions will lead to the cancellation of many rights and privileges that workers have labored hard over the years to achieve.” In response, the Authority said that it was working as best as it could with union representatives on developing a work plan that would benefit everyone, and ensure that workers retain all their rights. “We call on union officials to come back to the bargaining table, and we promise to ensure the welfare of each and every worker,” the Authority said.