Port workers vow strike in two weeks

The Israeli Histadrut labor federation on Monday declared a labor dispute at the Haifa and Ashdod ports after hitting a deadlock in talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the government's plans to expose the ports to private competition.

Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini demanded that Netanyahu suspend the international tenders that the government published two weeks ago for building and operating competing ports in the two cities.

Calling a labor dispute gives the two sides a two-week cooling off period before the unions can legally call a strike.

"We are not opposed to the principle of reform and the development of new privately operated ports," the labor federation said in a statement. "But we expected the government to agree with us not to infringe on the salary conditions or job security of veteran port workers, as well as to ensure the rights of workers employed at the new ports."

 The antitrust authority estimated in 2009 that waste and overcharging at the ports cost the Israeli economy NIS 5 billion a year. But a strike would cost the economy heavily, too.