SES Israeli Workers to Benefit from New Collective Agreement

Satellite communications company SES has signed a special collective agreement with the Histadrut labor union, the management of the Israeli site of SES, and the company’s workers’ committee. The agreement will improve the working conditions of the company’s employees, which includes wage increases, for a period of three years.

The agreement entails a horizontal wage increase of 9% during the period, with 5% being granted as a fixed and uniform increase for each employee. The remaining increase will be distributed according to management’s discretion. Additionally, there will be an extra wage increase of at least 3% for each eligible employee based on agreed criteria, hourly wage increases for shift workers, and transfers of employees from hourly employment to monthly wage employment. The agreement also includes increased standby fees, a raise in the company’s participation in meal costs to NIS 45 per day on meal cards, and an increase in the welfare budget.

Of SES’s 2,200 employees, around 130 are employed at the company’s sites in Israel, located at the satellite station in the Halla Valley and Airport City. Yaki Halutzi, Chairman of the Union of Cellular, Internet, and High-Tech Workers, praised the agreement, stating, “This is an excellent agreement and a wonderful line for SES workers. I want to thank the committee and the management for the joint effort for the benefit of the employees.”

SES Israel’s management emphasized the collaborative nature of the negotiations, and said that the agreement “reflects the support for the company’s needs in a developing and dynamic business world, the changes in the field of video and satellites, and the benefit of the company’s employees.” They also expressed hope for continued fruitful cooperation between all parties.

Moshe Peretz, Chairman of the Workers’ Council, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, saying, “We brought together a good agreement that continues and improves the working conditions in the company. I thank the representatives of the management for conducting honest and to-the-point negotiations, which put the employees at the center.”