Workers’ rights are no thing of the past for 550 workers of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Last week, the authority workers union and the Histadrut signed a collective agreement with the authority management and the Finance Ministry, ensuring better pay and working conditions until March 2028.
The agreement includes an increase to the base pay to be carried out over a number of intervals, a reduction of the work week to 40 hours, and a one-time payment of 2,500 shekels ($700) for eligible workers. Workers will also be eligible for annual bonuses for outstanding performance and will be able to accumulate up to 45 days to be used for professional development.
“The union congratulates the successful completion of negotiations and the improvement of working conditions and wages for workers of the Antiquities Authority,” authority workers union chair Alla Nagorski said. “We’re grateful to all the sides in the negotiations and to the Histadrut’s Union of Academics in Social Sciences and Humanities for its support and professional guidance throughout the whole process.”
Alexandra Kroshisnky, head of the Union of Academics in Social Sciences and Humanities, described the agreement as “historic and groundbreaking in the public sector.” “Managing negotiations and signing of a new contract during an ongoing war was a challenging objective,” she said.
Eli Escusido, general director of the authority, also praised the deal. “This agreement, which sets a salary for core employees in a manner appropriate to their education and occupation while reducing the salary gaps of the workers compared to other workers in the public sector, is devoted to saving the profession of archaeology, which is gradually disappearing from the world,” he said.
Yoni Pat, senior deputy payroll supervisor at the Ministry of Finance, noted that agreement would help the authority recruit more talented workers.
Histadrut Chair Arnon Bar-David also expressed his support. “I’m thankful for everyone who worked for this agreement, which, through listening, responsibility, and shared effort, allowed the negotiations to be completed for the sake of the continuation of the authority’s important activities and the protection of the workers’ job security,” Bar-David said.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz.
