Histadrut denuonces government’s dangerousely irresponsible remarks on public‑sector workers

Chairman of the Israel Union of Government Employees (IUGE), Adv. Ofir Alkalay, has issued a rebuke of Israel’s Accountant General Yali Rothenberg after he publicly claimed that 20,000 state employees are not performing essential work. The remarks are “baseless, detached from reality, and dangerously irresponsible.” Alkalay’s letter warns that such statements undermine both workers and the public systems they sustain.

Israel’s essential workers deserve better than this

Rothenberg’s comments are a sad affront to the very workforce that has kept Israel operational through years of war, emergencies, and economic instability. These workers represent the backbone of essential services, including healthcare, welfare, education, security, and core administrative functions. They cannot simply be dismissed as “surplus manpower.”
“State employees are not a burden — without them, Israel cannot function,” wrote Adv. Ofir Alkalay.

Delegitimising workers instead of fixing the system

Attacking workers publicly and misrepresenting the nature of their work crosses a moral line. This statement reflects a broader trend within parts of Israel’s government that criticises workers rather than addressing long-standing structural weaknesses, such as chronic understaffing, outdated budgeting mechanisms, and insufficient long-term planning. Rothenberg’s comments echo a global pattern in which austerity narratives recast public-sector employees as obstacles to efficiency rather than essential contributors to national resilience.

Furthermore, the use of technological modernisation as a pretext for mass layoffs is unacceptable. “AI is a tool for improving service, not an axe for cutting workers.” Wrote Adv. Alkalay. Rather than investing in skill development and capacity building, Rothenberg’s approach frames technology as a replacement for people. An approach that severely weakens the public service. Actioning this approach will be met with “an iron wall and unprecedented organisational action.”

A stark reminder of how far officials have drifted from the realities of workers’ lives

Israel’s Accountant General, Yali Rothenberg, a senior official now “on the verge of retirement,” has become a pointed example of this growing disconnect. Rather than using his final days in office to strengthen the public institutions that depend on the dedication of state employees, Rothenberg chose to launch public attacks against them. As Adv. Ofir Alkalay notes in his letter, such conduct reflects leadership that has strayed far from the day‑to‑day realities of the workers who keep Israel’s essential systems functioning. Israeli workers need solidarity and support; employees should not be met with blame from those entrusted with guiding and protecting the very services they uphold.

This troubling approach is unfortunately not surprising when viewed alongside the government’s broader pattern of sidelining workers, in their “Green Track” reform. A plan that threatens to severely restrict promotion opportunities for the vast majority of civil servants by funnelling advancement into a narrow, preferential track for a small group of senior officials. The same disregard for workers’ roles, rights, and realities now echoed in Rothenberg’s recent remarks, revealing a tendency to weaken and replace the workers.

When government leaders choose criticism over solidarity, it falls to the workers’ unions to provide the steadiness and responsibility that officials should have shown. The Histadrut remains committed to defending the dignity of public work, advancing responsible technological modernisation, and ensuring that no worker is sacrificed on the altar of political convenience.