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Unionists to disrupt Netanyahu visit to DC
Trade unionists are preparing to disrupt Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington in September for the direct negotiation talks with the Palestinians.
No this is not a story about anti-Israel union activists promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
This is a report on a long-running dispute by Israel’s Foreign Ministry workers, campaigning for better pay and conditions.
Already the Foreign Ministry union has put a black-ban on co-operating with the Israeli spy agency Mossad – because the union claims the spies broke their strike and walked through their picket lines.
Irony not lost on Israelis
The Israeli newspaper Ha-aretz has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to face serious obstacles as he travels to Washington for the high-profile peace summit.
The irony is not lost on the Israelis. Ha-aretz notes in its lead paragraph that this time it is Netanyahu’s own diplomats, not the Palestinians, who are causing him strife.
Union ramps up industrial action ahead of Netanyahu’s Washington visit
On Tuesday the foreign ministry’s workers’ committee sent a telegram to Israel’s Washington embassy, instructing all staff there not to assist the prime minister during his visit.
The workers say no progress has been made in talks between union members and the Treasury so they have decided to embarrass the PM by withdrawing all support.
Netanyahu’s previous visit to the American capital was also disrupted by the Foreign Ministry’s employees, forcing Defense Minister Ehud Barak to instruct Mossad and the Defense Ministry delegation members in New York to assume responsibility for the logistics and preparations for the trip.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the dispute has been going on since February, with the workers periodically ratcheting up their sanctions – ranging from wearing jeans and sneakers to work, to not providing drivers for foreign dignitaries.
In July, during Netanyahu’s last visit to Washington, Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini stepped in to ask that the sanctions be suspended to ensure that the visit would be glitchfree.
A similar appeal by Eini has not yet been forthcoming.
Foreign Ministry workers attack Mossad for strike-breaking
As TULIP has reported before this on-going dispute has already caused tension between the foreign ministry and Israel’s spy agency the Mossad.
During Netanyahu’s recent trip to Greece, diplomats accused the intelligence service of breaking their picket line after it stepped in to help organise the visit.
The Foreign Ministry Union retaliated to this strike-breaking activity by putting a black ban on the spies – because they effectively broke their strike and walked through a picket line.
The Foreign Ministry workers will no longer pay for family-related expenses such as school enrollment for children of Mossad personnel. The workers are also considering halting payment of all wages to employees of the espionage agency.
No speedy resolution to union dispute in sight - so services to public shutdown
The union dispute has been going on for a number of weeks and a speedy resolution does not appear to be in sight. Visitors to the Foreign Ministry website are greeted by a large red banner announcing “As part of the sanctions announced by the Israel Foreign Ministry workers’ union, the Consular Department will not provide services to the public and telephone calls will not be answered”
At a meeting early Tuesday, the committee decided to ramp up labour sanctions it imposed a few weeks ago to demand more pay, Ha-aretz reported.
The diplomats say they are fighting to bring their salaries and working conditions in line with those of the defense forces and the intelligence community.
Embassy workers refusing to help organise DC visit, hotel bookings, transport etc
As a result, embassy workers will refuse to assist in any administrative aspect of the visit, including hotel reservations, organizing transportation for the Netanyahu or his staff, and the prime minister’s arrival at the airport.
They will also avoid dealing with press conferences, spokesmanship, briefings and coordination with U.S. officials.
Despite these sanctions, the foreign ministry believes that the prime minister’s office will be able to carry out the visit without the help of the embassy, as much of the logistics of this U.S-organized summit will be taken care of by the White House.
A senior ministry source said that Israel’s U.S. envoy Michael Oren, who was appointed directly by Netanyahu, will not cooperate with the strike.
“We hope that the rest of the embassy staff will obey the workers’ committee’s instructions,” he added.
Across the globe Israeli embassies cutting off normal diplomatic activity
YNet reports that that the workers’ union has announced they will immediately cease all work meetings at Israel’s different contingents abroad, including meetings with foreign officials, delegations visiting from Israel, and various local contacts.
The Ministry’s employees have already stopped providing services to all foreign diplomats visiting or staying in Israel, on all matters of documentation and visas – even in cases that have already been processed.
The strike is also expected have a negative affect on Israeli companies, due to the union’s decision to stop handling all correspondence with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Read earlier report from TULIP