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Israeli labor unions to stage strike over construction site deaths

This photo shows a construction site in Petah Tikva where three workers were seriously injured in a fall, June 14, 2018.

Israel's main public sector union plans to shut down main airports, banks, stock exchanges and all offices in protest at the regime's inaction over the rising number of deaths at construction sites.

Workers at many private companies, including telecoms firms and train and bus companies, are expected to join the strike due to start next Wednesday, Histadrut labor federation chief Avi Nissenkorn said on Thursday.

"It is shocking and repulsive that in 2018 in Israel, nobody cares (about construction deaths). People wake up in the morning, bid farewell to their families, go to work and don't return," he said.

The federation chief also demanded that the regime spend an additional 20 million shekels ($5.4 million) on hiring more safety inspectors.

Three weeks ago, the federation said it would prepare for a "complete shutdown" of the economy if no steps were taken.

According to Histadrut, around 40 workers have died on building sites so far in 2018 and 200 others have been seriously injured. Labor activists say 35 died in 2017, with the Haaretz newspaper saying the number of such deaths in previous years had averaged around 30.

This file photo shows a worker on a rooftop at a construction site in Jerusalem al-Quds.  

The federation, which represents hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, has demanded that the administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adopt European construction standards, beef up safety measures and enforce a law on wearing safety harnesses.

Nissenkorn has written to labor, welfare and social services minister Haim Katz, and finance minister Moshe Kahlon, calling on them to act in response to the labor dispute and to improve safety.

Tel Aviv recruits many construction workers from China and eastern Europe but the vast majority of construction casualties are among Israeli and Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank.

The daily the Times of Israel reported recently that the rate of deadly work accidents in Israel’s construction industry is more than double the average in the European Union. According to the report, there are only 18 construction site inspectors in Israel while European standards would require 360 for a similar number of sites.

Many cranes in Israel are said to have been manufactured 40 to 50 years ago.

In February, 52-year-old Netta Rotman was killed when part of a crane fell from a building site onto her car in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv. Rotman was a top official in Access Israel, a disability rights and advocacy group.

This photo shows the scene where a crane collapsed on a car in Kfar Saba on February 18, 2018, killing a 52-year-old woman.

In September 2016, lawmakers set up a parliamentary inquiry after six construction workers were killed in the northern Tel Aviv neighborhood of Ramat Hahayal.

Histadrut wants a clear chain of command for on-site safety inspections and the implementation of regulations.


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