Last update - 00:00 19/10/2006
Schools in Kiryat Shmona abandoned due to filth, war damage
By Eli Askenazi, Haaretz Correspondent
Schools in Kiryat Shmona have been abandoned for two days as parents refuse to send their children to filthy classrooms left in a state of disrepair after they were bombarded by Hezbollah rocket fire.
The Education Ministry promised to fix the war damage by the beginning of October, but some of the repairs have not yet been completed.
Municipality maintenance workers have refused to clean the schools since Sunday, since they have yet to be paid their September wages. They say docking their pay has become standard practice over the past three years.
The employees also have not received financial benefits they are entitled to in addition to their pay for almost a year.
According to a municipality official, efforts to halt the strike by hiring cleaning companies to clean the schools would stir objection.
The Kiryat Shmona Labor Court will discuss Thursday forcing teachers' aides at kindergartens to return to their posts, as they have gone on strike as well.