The Histadrut declared a labor dispute at a Teva factory in Kfar Saba

Jun 20, 2022

Among the reasons for the conflict, which will apply to about 1,200 workers: “Changes in work arrangements without the participation of the workers’ committee, violation of agreements on working conditions and welfare, staffing jobs through outsourcing, and creating an unreasonable workload.” Eliezer Belo, Chairman of the Histadrut’s Food and Pharmaceutical Workers’ Union: “I call on the management to come to their senses and come to negotiations with creative solutions that will make it possible to return to a normal working relationship in the factory. Chairman of the Teva workers’ committee, Eliran Kozlik: “We have been operating for years as the responsible adult in charge with the management, but we have no choice. If necessary, we will shut down the site.”

The Histadrut has declared a labor dispute at a Teva factory in Kfar Saba, which will affect about 1,200 workers. Organizational steps will be possible on 1 July. A letter sent to the company’s VP of human resources and the director of labor relations at the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security stated, among other things, that “negotiations between the parties are taking place on a collective agreement, including a wage agreement, and the gaps are significant. The company makes changes to fundamental working arrangements that affect the working conditions of the employees without dialogue, sharing, consultation or agreement with the employees’ representatives.”

It was further stated that “the company absorbs new employees at a high starting salary, equal to or very close to the wages of the veteran employees, and refuses to update their salaries in accordance with the updated salary ranges according to which the company absorbs new employees. The company repeatedly violates the agreements and agreements reached with the employees’ representatives concerning working conditions, welfare, employee transportation, and more. “

It also states that “the company operates in the dark and unilaterally, including staffing core positions through outsourcing, at the expense of employees fired in an ‘efficiency process’ that ended only a few months ago, and the company declared that the positions are redundant.”

There are also allegations of “lack of transparency and participation of the workers’ committee in welfare issues, use of disciplinary proceedings in bad faith and arbitrarily, creating an unreasonable burden on workers as a result of workloads and lack of manpower, as well as an attempt to harm and weaken the workers’ committee and the organizational power in the factory while manipulative and ‘divide and rule’ actions between the committee and the workers. “

Eliezer Belo, Chairman of the Histadrut’s Food and Pharmaceutical Workers’ Union: “Unfortunately, even though the workers at Teva plant have shown responsibility over a long period of time, the management withdraws from the agreements and tries to harm organized work. I call on the management to negotiate with creative solutions that will end the conflict and return to normal labor relations.”

Chairman of the Teva Workers’ Committee, Eliran Kozlik: “The workers’ committee has been very involved in the past year in rehabilitating the site. We all went ‘under the stretcher’ when there was no personal example on the management’s side. The management withdrew from the agreements, has been acting in bad faith for several months, and is trying in every way possible to harm organized work while recruiting new employees at a higher salary than the senior ones. Despite many attempts to solve the problems, and even though we have been acting for years as a ‘responsible adult,’ we were left with no choice and decided to end this conduct once and for all, and if necessary, not hesitate to disable the site. We will not allow the continued erosion of employee wages and the wage gaps created by management, while on the other hand, they outsource positions. We will continue to stand up for the rights of the workers and the rights of the contractor workers, who are also being harmed.”

Might interest you as well