The Histadrut’s Attorneys’ Union and the Finance Ministry signed a collective bargaining agreement last week concerning attorneys working in the Ministry of Defense. The agreement will apply to dozens of attorneys who will from now on receive the “preparation bonus” in their salaries that other Defense Ministry employees already receive. The bonus will come as a percentage of employees’ salaries rather than as a fixed amount as it had in its previous form. The agreement also specifies that attorneys will retroactively receive bonuses on their salaries going back to January 2021.
Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David: “I welcome this agreement that finally offers attorneys the same conditions as other Defense Ministry employees and makes a meaningful difference in their salaries. We’ll continue to work on behalf of workers in all sectors of the economy and defend their job security.”
Attorneys’ Union Chairman Yitzhak Gordon: “After a long and complicated series of negotiations, we’ve achieved an agreement that corrects a historic injustice that went on for many years. Attorneys in the Defense Ministry’s Attorneys’ Office offer professional legal guidance on the Ministry’s vast, complicated, and critical activities, and now they will finally receive the full compensation that they deserve, along with all other Defense Ministry employees.”
Histadrut Liaison for Security Services, Dani Hornstein: “I welcome this unprecedented agreement that, after extensive negotiations, restores respect and dignity to the attorneys in the Defense Ministry.”
Defense Ministry Employees’ Union Chairman, Sason Peretz: “After struggling for years, through determination and belief in the justice of our cause, we’ve succeeded in correcting the inequality in Defense Ministry attorneys’ salaries.”
Histadrut representatives in the negotiations included Chana Schnitzer Rahav, head of the legal department of the Professional Unionization Branch, Miri Malachi from the same branch, Yaniv Weiss from the pension department, and Bat-El Yaakov Lelzri of the economic department. The legal proceedings that preceded the negotiations were led by Maya Tzachor Aviram, the vice-chair of the legal department of the Professional Unionization Branch, and Keren Kalper. The Defense Ministry Employees’ Union was represented by Tal Meyerson and Shani Tzabari. The Finance Ministry was represented by Hanan Lazimi, Senior Vice President for Salary Financing, Omer Hazan, coordinator for statutory corporations in the Salary and Labor Agreements Department, Rivka Rabilo, the department’s deputy legal advisor, and Shiran Maimon.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Sam Edelman.
