Customs' workers strike is over

The labor committee agreed to accept a request by Histadrut labor federation chairman  to end the work sanctions and enter negotiations
 
The strike declared by labor committee of the Customs and Value Added Tax division of the Tax Authority is over, for the time being.
 
The labor committee agreed early last week to accept a request by Histadrut labor federation chairman Ofer Eini to end the work sanctions and enter negotiations.
 
Customs workers are protesting a planned merger with the Income Tax Authority, and are afraid of job cuts. The workers also want more pay for additional work.
 
The daily value of goods passing through the customs service at Israel's main gateways is estimated at NIS 260 million. The strike caused heavy losses to exporters as well as importers who could not release goods to the local market.
 
The workers' labor committee also agreed to return to normal working hours in the face of a lawsuit filed in the National Labor Court against the Histadrut and the treasury by the Manufacturers Association and Israel Chambers of Commerce to order workers back to work, due to the heavy losses caused to exporters and importers.
 
Both sides agreed to complete negotiations within two weeks.