Israel's largest hospital on brink of strike: 'We have reached our limit'

The Histadrut labor federation has warned of a possible labor dispute at Shamir Medical Center (Asaf HaRofe) if management does not return to negotiations. Employees of the medical corporation demand equal working conditions with state hospital workers, citing discrimination in salary and social benefits. If a dispute is declared, disruptions may occur in the hyperbaric chamber, outpatient surgeries, and other services.

Israel's largest medical center, Shamir Medical Center (Asaf HaRofe), is under threat of a labor dispute. The Histadrut and representatives of the medical corporation's workers issued a warning on Tuesday: if management does not immediately reconsider its position and return to the negotiating table, a labor dispute will be officially declared, potentially leading to union actions and widespread disruptions. The corporation's employees perform the same duties as state hospital workers but receive significantly lower salaries and have less favorable social conditions. The Histadrut claims that management ignores workers' rights and shows intransigence. Deputy Chairman of the Histadrut's trade union division, Attorney Uri Fleishman, stated that the Histadrut will not allow the distorted situation to persist and threatened to use legal tools, including halting all corporation activities. Chairman of the Histadrut branch in Rishon LeZion, David Reuven, called the employees "the vanguard of the system" and demanded equal conditions. Chairman of the workers' committee, Avital Leshem, said: "We have reached the limit of our patience." In case of a dispute, the hyperbaric chamber, outpatient surgeries, the institute of visual diagnostics, dental and ophthalmology clinics, the institute of allergology, the clinical pharmacology department, and the clinical research system may be at risk.