Union chief to ‘Post’: Gov’t only acts under pressure
The government only moves to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis when pressure is ratcheted up, rather than taking the lead itself, Histadrut labor federation chairman Arnon Bar-David told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
“The state doesn’t move without pressure being applied, and that concerns me,” said Bar-David, who has headed the century-old workers’ organization since March 2019.
“I like to initiate things: to lead and not be led. The Finance Ministry constantly finds itself being led by all sorts of bodies that are applying pressure. Elsewhere in the OECD, countries decide almost on the first day what they are doing and then maybe fix it here or there.”
Bar-David has been a vocal critic of the government’s economic response to the crisis, warning that Israel stands on the verge
of an “economic Yom Kippur War” and repeatedly calling on authorities to release cash – rather than loans – to keep struggling businesses afloat.
Israel has missed a “lot of economic momentum” during the crisis, he said, due to bureaucratic barriers preventing – and continuing to prevent – the implementation of solutions.
“We copied health models from the world, primarily Europe, but we did not copy successful economic models,” said Bar-David. “I do not understand it, because the information exists and we could have learned from the world. We are lagging behind most other countries.”
Protests by the self-employed and large businesses were inevitable given the Finance Ministry’s inability to deliver financial assistance, he said, adding that it is still not too late for the country to enable self-employed workers to receive the same unemployment benefits as salaried employees.
No solution has yet been found to compensate large businesses either, although Bar-David touts a possible solution based on measuring reduced revenues. Grants could be offered to businesses with large turnover, he said, based on the number of employees that return to their original roles.
“The self-employed should receive unemployment benefits because they pay national insurance contributions exactly like salaried employees. I heard [National Economic Council chairman] Avi Simhon discussing such a mechanism yesterday. That would neutralize the anger of the self-employed workers and put all workers in Israel on par with one another,” Bar-David said.
Emphasizing the need to return all sectors in the economy to full capacity as soon as possible, the Histadrut chairman says that the government made an error by not opening all stores earlier this week, excluding
malls. Hairdressers could have returned to work as long as they fulfill strict health regulations.
Contributing to the ongoing and contentious government debate regarding further easing of restrictions on the economy, Bar-David argues that all sectors should return to full capacity on May 3, as long as they meet the Health Ministry’s “purple badge” safety criteria. Exceptions, he added, should be made for employees aged over 65 with pre-existing health conditions and in communities with exceptionally high rates of the virus.
“We need to return all sectors to 100% capacity as quickly as possible. It is not healthy that employees are sitting at home,” he said. “We need to return the economy to full operation as soon possible.”
Several sectors will take longer to recovery, notably the restaurant, culture, hotel and aviation industries.
“We are fighting for the life of El Al at this very moment. It is a difficult battle versus the banks, the government and the employees,” said Bar-David. “The company will need to be smaller, as I believe the world of aviation will change in terms of capacity, destinations and traffic. Where there are changes, there must be adaptations.”
Speaking to the Post a short time after the Bank of Israel forecast that the absence of parents from the workplace costs the economy approximately NIS 2.6 billion per week, Bar-David said he did not envy the difficult decision faced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with regard to reopening schools.
“We need to look at what certain countries in Europe do and learn from them. We do need to start to return to education – and I also see May 3 as the date when young children could return to school and kindergarten, maybe in small groups,” he said. “We need to learn how to live with the coronavirus; we cannot stop the world and wait.”
Welcoming the coalition agreement reached by Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz earlier this week, Bar-David described it as a “good government for the State of Israel in this situation.” Former Histadrut chairmen Amir Peretz and Avi Nissenkorn are expected to serve as the economy and justice ministers in the new government.
Bar-David also expressed his hope that the Histadrut and the government will see “eye-to-eye” on how to advance the economy, create a better world and ensure less hatred between different groups.
“We are now just before Independence Day and the government needs to reduce tension and verbal violence. We need reconciliation and to talk about values,” he said.
“We are living in the State of Israel; there are enough threats and we need to join together. We entered the coronavirus crisis together and we need to finish it together.” •
hear his favorite song, smell his favorite food or even enjoy a visit with his many still-dedicated friends, who are all family men by now.
So no, I won’t be going to his grave this Remembrance Day. I won’t be greeting the families of his fallen neighbors. I won’t jump with fright at hearing the 21-Gun Salute or softly moan as the Israeli flag is lowered to the haunting tune of the trumpet. I won’t see the back-slapping annual reunion of his fellow soldiers and friends, marveling at how they’ve become the accomplished young men and women who are shaping the country in which we live.
As our soldiers continue to put their lives on the line for us each and every day, we have the obligation to protect ourselves and our fellow citizens as well by being vigilant and staying safe. But this does not mean that we will not observe Remembrance Day. We will do so, but in our home.
Not everything that we do is according to our needs, whims or desires – just ask any combat soldier. I think Ari would be proud that we are following the orders of our government and Health Ministry, as directed by the commander in chief.
We don’t need to stand by Ari’s grave to show that we still love and miss him. He knows that we do. Every. Single. Day.
The writer is the mother of St.-Sgt. Ari Weiss, who fell in battle on September 30, 2002, in a firefight with Hamas terrorists in Nablus. •
to Netanyahu regarding his fees.
The most recent rejection of Netanyahu’s request for help from tycoons came in June 2019.
At the time, Netanyahu lashed out at the previous committee, saying it was denying him the same rights as prior ministers who received donations to pay for their defense in public corruption cases. He also claimed that the committee had politicized the process and usurped or manufactured new authorities to block his rights which it did not legally have.
The committee responded almost as quickly, saying that Netanyahu is unique because he is a serving prime minister. They said that all prior cases he cited to prove that he was being mistreated were related to former ministers, who resigned their posts once in legal trouble.
Once they resigned their posts, they no longer had ongoing or current conflicts of interest to receive donations, the committee said.
In other words, the committee implied that Netanyahu can get his legal bills paid for if he resigns, but must pay if he wants to stay in office. They suggested that while in office he will be able to help the tycoons in return for their money, and allegedly has in the past.
Part of the dispute between Netanyahu and the previous committee was the prime minister’s refusal to fully reveal his financial situation and ability to self-fund his defense.
But by July 2019, Englman, viewed as close to Netanyahu, had replaced former comptroller Joseph Shapira. Shortly after that, Englman replaced the comptroller committee as well.
Significant media coverage has shown connections between new committee members and the Likud, with some new members even resigning, but most weathering the criticism. Englman has rejected any notion that he or the committee favor Netanyahu.
The new committee said that it was not bound by the previous three rulings of the same committee because it is an administrative panel and not a court.
Furthermore, the new committee said that circumstances have substantially changed since June 2019, because in November, the indictment against Netanyahu was filed and he must now imminently pay to defend himself at trial in a case which has over 1,000 binders of evidence.
In an earlier exchange about his finances, after Netanyahu accused the previous committee of holding his legal defense hostage, the committee responded by publicizing investment links he had to tycoon and cousin Natan Milikovsky, which have raised the specter of a new potential criminal probe. •
cannot enter the fire of argument.”
She said she had informed Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev and the ministry, which nominates people to participate in the ceremony, and thanked them for recognizing the contribution of the Kathmandu Chabad House to the unity of Israeli society.
“I again thank you – to the State of Israel and everyone – for the blessings and well-wishes, and most of all for the recognition and thanks that have come from around the world,” she said. “I will perhaps not be able to light the torch, but the greatest honor in the world I have already received – a life of mission and mutual responsibility. There is no greater gift.”
Regev said she was saddened that Lifshitz will not be able to participate in the ceremony, adding: “This was an opportunity to express appreciation for the contribution of Chabad Houses, which provide a place to stay [abroad] for many young people from across Israeli society in all its diversity.” •