Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., January 15, 2008 Shvat 8, 5768 | | Israel Time: 00:11 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

An Israeli university classroom standing empty due to strike. (Archive: Daniel Bar On / Jini) Last update - 00:09 16/01/2008 University pres.: Campuses to close Sunday until crisis over By Tamara Traubmann, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel, education  All Israeli universities will shut down Sunday if the Finance Ministry does not reach an agreement with the striking senior lecturers, the university presidents and heads of the university governing councils decided unanimously at an emergency meeting Tuesday. "We cannot continue in the present situation of the ongoing strike," the presidents and governing councils decided. "Therefore it was decided that if by noon Friday no agreement is reached between the state and the academic faculty, in accordance with the compromise proposal suggested today by the university presidents committee to both sides, the universities will close starting Sunday at 8 A.M." The decision is meant to pressure the treasury and the lecturers, who began striking 88 days ago and are in the midst of the longest university strike in Israel's history, to reach a compromise and sign an agreement. Advertisement A shutdown would mean that even the classes that were held during the strike will no longer be held as of Sunday. It would also bring research to a halt and would probably keep some 15,000 faculty members and administrative personnel from drawing a paycheck. The full ramifications of closing down the universities have yet to be determined, since nothing like this has happened in the country before. "This is not a punishment - it's the closure of universities because there is no budget, since in this situation, there is no way to run the universities," said Prof. Moshe Kaveh, who heads the university presidents committee. "The universities will open only when the situation permits it, after a solution is reached." The university presidents are proposing that the lecturers receive a 21 percent compensation for the erosion of their salaries since 1997, instead of the 35 percent they are demanding. According to the compromise, the compensation payments would be spread out until the end of 2009 instead of being paid immediately. Meanwhile, Education Minister Yuli Tamir is threatening a coalition crisis in light of the failed negotiations between the Finance Ministry and the senior lecturers. "We have a clear demand to go to a coalition crisis on this matter," said Tamir. "I believe that a lot of pressure must be exerted in order to prevent the semester from being canceled." In an effort to solicit support for a final battle, university administration officials contacted members of the universities' boards of governors, including some of the biggest donors to Israeli universities and to the country itself, to tell them about the crisis. The university officials were hoping the donors would pressure Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to get the Finance Ministry to be more flexible in negotiations with the lecturers. Negotiations between the lecturers and government broke down once again yesterday. Treasury officials had been slated to present new ideas to resolve the conflict, but instead they withdrew to the position they had taken more than a week ago ¬ offering about half the amount the lecturers are willing to accept in wages, after they significantly lowered their demands. Finance Minister Roni Bar-On said he would refuse to exceed the framework of public-sector wage agreements in order to respond to what he called the "excessive demands" of the senior lecturers. Meanwhile, some 150 students have been taking part in a sit-in at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, since Tuesday afternoon. The students threaten to remain in the Senate building until they were assured the semester would not be canceled. "We'll sleep here, we'll live here, we'll eat here, we'll have parties," said student union head Yonatan Green. "We'll stay here until an agreement is reached." Related articles: University presidents' chairman warns academic year may be canceled Lecturers, university heads meet in effort to save semester Striking professors slam university heads for going to court Bookmark to del.icio.us   Diskin's faulty math Haaretz finds the Shin Bet estimate of Palestinian civilian casualties is too low. Wooing minorities The color of Barack Obama's skin has returned as an issue to the campaign.   1.   year or semester? 10:08  |  r 15/01/08   2.   year semester to "r" 11:25  |  j 15/01/08   3.   "Buying time, for whom? 14:20  |  Stephen. 15/01/08   4.   Politic or academic: Is there any difference? 15:15  |  TEA 15/01/08   5.   2008: The Year Treasury Destroyed Education in Israel 17:18  |  Marty 15/01/08   6.   To #5 Don`t blame treasury for the situation... 19:36  |  TEA 15/01/08

Today Online IDF kills 19 Palestinians in raids on Gaza City Responses: 365 Diplomat: U.S. firmly opposes all W. Bank, E. J'lem construction Responses: 224 Israel offers Jewish Anglo doctors $60,000 to immigrate Responses: 131 Historian threatens to expose post-Shoah pogroms in Poland Responses: 124 Hamas sniper kills kibbutz volunteer near Gaza fence Responses: 218 Rosner's Domain Israel Factor: Let McCain deal with Iran Defending and rejecting the NIE on Iran (WTR) Poll: Does Bush still placing the promotion of democracy at the top of his agenda? Obama "will be the friend we want in the White House" Did Bush endorse Israel's attack in Syria? (WTR) More Headlines 23:51 Palestinians fire 25 Qassams from Gaza Strip on Tuesday 23:13 Exiled Hamas leader says Bush 'incited the Zionists' to raid Gaza 00:09 University pres.: Campuses to close Sunday until crisis over 21:30 Romney needs a win in Michigan primaries to stay in the game 21:54 At least three killed in Beirut blast targeting U.S. Embassy car 11:47 Israel offers Anglo doctors $60,000 in immigration incentive 23:30 Rice: Arab nations should reach out to Israel to nudge Mideast peace 21:45 Britain's energy company BG Group says closing down its Israel office 16:28 Eight-year-old Bedouin girl dies from severe cold spell in Negev 23:50 Yishai to Lieberman: If PM, Abbas discuss J`lem, Shas will quit gov`t Previous Editions Select Day 15 jan 14 jan 13 jan 11 jan 10 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan 06 jan 04 jan 03 jan 02 jan

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