Histadrut launches nationwide campaign to counter the cost of living

Dec 08, 2022

The Histadrut is preparing to lead a nationwide wave of protests on the issue of the cost of living, and as a first step, a new campaign is being launched this morning to unite and rally all Israel’s citizens in the struggle. Millions of Israelis have been exposed to the campaign so far who came across the teaser advertisement in which only one word appears – the word “Enough!”.

Ads with the word “Enough!” Without further details and the publisher’s identity, readers and web surfers were exposed yesterday and this morning by dozens of Israeli media, including news sites, apps, and daily newspapers, in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and English. In addition, a pop-up message with the word “Enough!” appears for all users of the Waze navigation application in Israel. Histadrut revealed this morning that the “Enough!” campaign is Histadrut’s cost of living campaign, and next to the word, enough! From now on, sentences will appear that describe the dire economic situation faced by hundreds of thousands of households in the State of Israel, such as: “Enough! Everything here is so expensive!”; “Enough! The minimum wage is not enough for a basic existence with dignity!”; “Enough! We are tired of paying the price!” etc.’.

Starting today, the ads and banners of the campaign will direct the public to a page with a detailed explanation of the move and the Histadrut economic plan to reduce the cost of living. The explanatory page opens with the following: “More and more families, even families where both spouses work, can no longer meet their monthly needs. We are not dealing with luxuries but with money for food, essential products, household bills, and children’s education.”

The explanation page for the public also emphasizes that the struggle led by the Histadrut is not a political struggle but a social struggle that belongs to everyone. “The cost of living is not a matter of right or left; it’s a social struggle that belongs to everyone and will affect everyone, regardless of which note you put in the ballot box. After five election campaigns that cost us all dearly, a new government was elected to provide solutions. The reality in which this government is starting to work is an economic emergency for many of the country’s citizens.”

In the plan to reduce the cost of living, the Histadrut presents its recommendations to the decision-makers on various topics, including increasing worker income, strengthening the pensioners, education and family, housing prices, transportation, electricity expenses, and water and property taxes.

Simultaneously with the campaign launch and following the instruction of Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David, the Histadrut’s preparations for a nationwide wave of protests continue, including protest rallies in dozens of centers throughout the country. The struggle will be led by the headquarters of the fight against the cost of living, which the Histadrut chairman is expected to convene in the coming days to review the action plan for the coming months. The headquarters of the struggle includes heads of trade unions, leaders and members of worker committees from the Histadrut, representatives of pensioners, and representatives of the working and learning youth movement.

The Chairman of the Histadrut, Arnon Bar-David,: “In recent years, the Histadrut under my leadership acted responsibly and with great restraint to stabilize the economy and help the country get out of the crisis it was in. We did it while the politicians were busy with five election campaigns. However, the country’s citizens have been neglected, and we are here to say enough! It is impossible to continue like this any longer – the cost of living must be lowered immediately. I call on the decision-makers to roll up their sleeves and start working in a way that suits the magnitude of the hour. We will not compromise on the right of workers and pensioners in the State of Israel to live with dignity. From the right and the left, secular and religious, of every religion, race, and gender – the Israelis embark on this struggle together, and together we will also win it.”