Employees of El Al, Arkia and Israir began an open-ended strike yesterday in protest over the government's plans to ratify an open skies deal with Europe.
The workers claim that the open skies deal will lead to job losses due to the increased competition from foreign airlines
Ofer Eini, head of Israel's Histadrut labour union, warned that 17,000 jobs could be at risk. "The way in which (this deal) is being implemented will on the one hand bring a reduction in airfares but it will also cause Israeli companies to collapse," he told Israel Radio.
The strike began at 5am on Sunday but the carrier brought forward most departures so that outgoing passengers could leave Israel. Incoming flights and foreign airlines were not affected.
Despite the strike Transport Minister Yisrael Katz has stated that the cabinet would approve the agreement and that it could not be changed because its European signatories had already signed it.
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