Court defers decision on back-to-work orders for striking teachers - Haaretz

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Mon., December 03, 2007 Kislev 23, 5768

Israel Time: 16:55 (EST+7)

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		Teachers protesting in Jerusalem on Saturday. (Daniel Bar On/Jini)

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Last update - 05:02 03/12/2007

Court defers decision on back-to-work orders for striking teachers

By Or Kashti, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service

Tags: Education, teachers, strike

The Secondary School Teachers Association (SSTA) entered the 47th day of its strike Monday morning after the National Labor Court decided overnight not to issue back-to-work orders that would force the high school and junior high school teachers to return to the classrooms.

At the end of the hearing, which lasted approximately 9 hours, the court decided to postpone its decision on the matter, Army Radio reported. The court ordered the state to submit additional data regarding its planned reform of the education system by 11:00 Monday morning.

On Sunday, the SSTA said it would appeal to the High Court of Justice if back-to-work orders had been issued.

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The labor court said Sunday it would ask for a copy of the cabinet resolution - if approved - "giving force to the statements of the finance and education ministers" during last week's court session.

In response, the relevant ministries rushed to formulate a "declaration for ending the strike" that would have the force of a cabinet resolution, even though the cabinet is not scheduled to discuss the issue until next week.

The declaration itself contains little new beyond the previous promises given by the education and finance ministers. The SSTA said in response that the "cabinet is continuing to avoid giving precise details of the plan to reduce class sizes and restore classroom hours."

According to Sunday's cabinet resolution, NIS 100 million is to be added to the 2008 education budget for additional tuition hours. This amount can pay for about 20,000 instructional hours, while the union is demanding the return of 110,000 hours to the secondary education system.

The cabinet also resolved to direct the education and finance ministers to submit within 75 days a "multiyear plan for reducing class sizes, adding classroom hours and dividing up classrooms." The budget for this will be determined only after the Knesset approves the 2008 state budget, and in keeping with its limitations.

The resolution also includes the details of the proposal being offered to the striking teachers. The main plank is a wage hike of 8.5 percent, in exchange for an additional three hours a week of small-group tutoring per week. The proposal is conditional on the secondary teachers joining, by June 2009, the educational reform to which the country's elementary school teachers agreed earlier this year.

Finance Minister Roni Bar-On told the cabinet that these commitments "will be in effect irrespective of the labor court's decision on issuing back-to-work orders" to the striking teachers.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, "The cabinet doesn't want a victory over the teachers. We are committed to increasing teachers' salaries significantly and improving education in Israel - but first of all the teachers must stop their strike."

SSTA head Ran Erez said that if the court issued back-to-work orders, "as an organization we will honor them. However, some teachers will not listen to me and will decide to resign. Those who do not will go back to school without hope. It is not clear whether parents will choose to send their children to school when the teachers are working under an injunction."

Related articles:

Gov't to ask court to halt teacher strike; PM: They won't break us

Teachers' union holds mass rally in support of strike

Teachers` union rejects latest offer by state to end strike

Teachers strike / Someone must call for help

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1.	no back to work orders	07:06	\|	inisrael	03/12/07

2.	Back to work orders	07:31	\|	Claudia	03/12/07

3.	cheap	08:08	\|	Lydia	03/12/07

4.	Histadrut betrayed...	08:11	\|	Ivan	03/12/07

5.	Strike	09:13	\|	Millie	03/12/07

6.	THE STRIKE MUST GO ON AT ALL COST	10:04	\|	Robert	03/12/07

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