The Histadrut is set to call for a general strike in another two weeks, according to news reports coming out of Israel.

Financial daily Globes reports that “plans to declare a general labor dispute on Thursday, which will allow it to declare a general strike after a two-week cooling-off period.”.  It adds that “today, the National Union of Israeli Students announced that it is joining forces with the Histadrut” as well.  Globes reports that Ofer Eini, the Histadrut leader, yesterday “slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy of cutting progressive direct taxes on the rich and companies, and raising regressive indirect taxes, such as the gasoline excise, which hurt the middle class and the poor.”

The Histadrut’s own website has a report on this in Hebrew only.  Its report adds some key details:

• The general strike will affect both the public and private sectors.  Because of this, it requires the convening of the Histadrut’s highest governing body (beit nivcharei hahistadrut) next week.  This is a constitutional requirement under such circumstances.
• The Histadrut is not only angry about rising prices. They are furious because the right-wing Netanyahu government is refusing to adopt the agreed increase in the minimum wage.
• Leaders of the national students’ union are participating in tomorrow’s meeting of the “struggle headquarters” at the Histadrut after announcing their support for the campaign.  Histadrut leader Ofer Eini welcomed the involvement of the students in what he called “a broad civil and social front”.

Meanwhile, Ha’aretz is reporting that Netanyahu has asked to meet with the Histadrut leader in a bid to avert the strike.