Mayor cut down. Municipality workers of Elad: war

Another crisis in the Elad Municipality: Municipal employees embark on an unprecedented struggle against the mayor, Yitzchak Idan, following an announcement they received regarding a cut in their wages.

"We will find all legal rights granted to us by the law including demonstrations and strikes," said the workers' union.

Last week, at the plenary session of the Elad municipality as part of a large cut in employees' salary, a 10 percent cut in wages of senior public servants the municipality was approved. Some council members who voted for the cuts found this morning (Tuesday) that also pertains to the city's rabbis.

Council member Moshe Bardugo dispatched a letter to the mayor, in which he requires him to bring a renewed vote on the cuts. "Unfortunately, since the beginning of your term," he wrote Bardugo, "religious services in the city are at an ongoing collapse. Salaries to community rabbis is not paid despite your repeated promises."

In his letter, Bardugo informed that he retracts his vote and demands of the mayor to hold another vote.

"From past experience," concluded the letter, "Whoever harmed the pay of rabbis, was not successful."

All means are justified

This is just the start of the saga at the municipality. A large part of the employees received a letter that informed them of an extensive cut in their wages. The workers' union, headed by Tomer Cohen, sent a letter to employees: "We have approached the Histadrut to declare a labor dispute, while also issuing an injunction from the labor court on a unilateral move."

In the corridors municipality there is great outrage against the mayor. "It is a shame on public figures who claim to represent the Hareidi population who do not hesitate to harm workers and trample their dignity and livelihood," Cohen wrote to employees. "Then they will ask us to help them help the poor when they themselves have caused it."

Tomorrow, Wednesday, workers plan to hold a demonstration outside the office of the mayor.

"We will not let it happen under any circumstances, we will exploit all rights granted us by the law including a demonstration, a general strike and other organizational measures," said the employees. "Until now, we were silent, we did not talk, but today we are going out on an unprecedented struggle."

After a meeting of rabbis held in the afternoon, it was decided that a number of rabbis will go up tonight to Jerusalem to update Hagr"o Joseph about the events in the city. It is not yet clear who the rabbis are and whether the meeting between them and Hagr"o will be implemented today.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!