About 300 workers in Derech Egged bus company have formed a union within the Histadrut in an effort to protect their rights, improve their working conditions, and ensure job security. In the next year, the union is expected to grow to 700 members as the company grows and takes on new workers.
A subsidiary of Egged, Israel’s largest transit bus company, Derech Egged runs bus lines in the area around Jerusalem.
Last Wednesday, Derech Egged management announced its recognition of the union. Initial negotiations on a collective agreement will be scheduled soon.
The unionizing process was assisted by the Histadrut’s Jerusalem branch, which is run by Danny Bonfil; the Transportation Workers Union, led by Eyal Yadin; and the Histadrut’s unionization division, led by Amichai Stinger.
“I am happy and proud of the Derech Egged workers joining the large family of public transit drivers who are members of the Transportation Workers Union in the Histadrut,” Yadin said. “We are grateful to the workers for putting their trust in us, and we will work together with an action committee in the company to sign a collective agreement that will bring important achievements to the workers, just as we do in each place we work.”
Yadin expressed his hope that the negotiations between the union and the company would be “efficient, quick, and productive.”
David Mor Yosef, head of the Industry and Transportation Division of the Histadrut’s Jerusalem branch, noted that nearly 80% of Derech Egged voted to unionize. “This is thanks to the productive cooperation and experience that’s existed throughout the years between us and the workers of Egged, the larger company,” Mor Yosef said.
The workers action committee at Derech Egged expressed their gratitude for the Histadrut’s support. “We believe that together with the Histadrut and the management we can improve and promote the status of the worker and the work conditions, and we are waiting to begin negotiations.”
This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz.
