Last update - 00:00 08/08/2007
Lifeguards association to strike again over the weekend
By Yigal Hai
The Histadrut Labor Union and the Israel National Lifeguards Association notified the National Labor Court in Jerusalem Wednesday morning that another lifeguards' strike could be expected at beaches across Israel over the weekend.
The lifeguards are protesting stalled negotiations over their salaries.
As they did last weekend, the lifeguards are expected to leave their posts Saturday and Sunday during the last two hours of the workday, between 5 and 7 p.m.; in Rishon Letzion and Ashdod, the strike will begin at 1 p.m. The beaches of Haifa and Tel Aviv will once again not be affected by the strike.
Three people drowned on the beaches of Netanya and Ashdod last weekend after lifeguards left their posts at 5 p.m.
The lifeguards reminded the court in a written message that "the end result of the [previous] strike had been a loss of human life." The lifeguards blamed the local government, which they said "opted not to advance negotiations with us no matter what."
The lifeguards' message, which was submitted by attorneys Amir Basha and Shai Teken, also noted that, as in last week's strike, the beaches in Tel Aviv and Haifa would not be included in the strike. However, they said, the strike will take place within local authorities that employ contractor lifeguards.