Business in Brief

Israelis are very satisfied with their jobs - and life in general, it seems - but there are still problems. Even though 84% of Israelis are satisfied with their jobs, only 55% are happy with their salaries, reports the Central Bureau of Statistic's 2008 Social Survey. Men are more satisfied with their income than women. The happiest in their lot at work are economists and accountants, who report almost a 100% satisfaction level. Among the least satisfied with their income were cleaners and teachers. There has been a big rise in income satisfaction since 2002, and many more Israelis are reporting that they expect their situation to improve. (Ido Solomon)

A group of 500 rabbis filed suit against the state and the Union of Local Authorities yesterday, demanding millions of shekels in raises for wage erosion over 2002-2004 and 2006-2008. The rabbis, who belong to Histadrut labor federation, have asked the National Labor court to order the state and the ULA to pay compensation for withholding wages, along with interest and linkage to the consumer price index. The group claims the treasury has not kept the collective bargaining agreement signed with the Histadrut in 1988, which requires evaluating every two years whether their salaries have eroded versus certain other groups of public employees. (Haim Bior)

The Israel Bar Association's plan to lengthen the apprenticeship period for recent law school graduates to two years moved forward last Thursday, when the IBA reached an agreement with the forum representing university law students. However, the students agreed only to extending the current one-year apprenticeship to one and a half years. The Bar Association's plans include changing the format of the bar exams, providing apprentices with training programs, increasing supervision of the apprentices and their mentors, and potentially requiring a Master's degree to practice law. Students were upset by the original proposal, arguing it was meant to restrict the number of lawyers and violates their right to freedom of occupation. In any case, the changes will not apply to current students or those already accepted to law school. (Nurit Roth)

The northernmost section of the Trans-Israel Highway (Route 6) was opened to traffic yesterday. The section, which stretches about 17 km from the 'Iron intersection (Route 65) to Ein Tut (Route 70) enables drivers to skirt traffic jams and almost reach the edge of Haifa. It should also put an end to the traffic jam created at the exit to the Wadi 'Ara exit where the highway ended previously. The new section cost NIS 1.4 billion to build, NIS 500 million of which was financed by the state and the balance paid for by the highway's franchised operators. Use of the new section (number 18) has been priced differently than other sections of the road. One-time users of the road (private vehicle drivers) will be charged NIS 11.24 for use of the section, while subscribers will pay NIS 4.46. (Barr Hayoun)