On Monday, the Histadrut signed a series of agreements with the Ministries of Finance and Health and Clalit Health Services, improving wages and conditions for approximately 8,000 health professionals in the public sector. The new agreement is intended to significantly improve the employment conditions of health professionals—including physiotherapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, and speech therapists—in order to retain and attract high-quality workers and better serve the public.
The new wage agreement includes annual retention and recruitment grants of up to 10,000 shekels (about $2,600), as well as grants for increasing work hours that can reach up to 22,000 shekels (about $5,800) per year. The agreement also regulates an increase in insurance payments based on a worker’s output.
In addition, an agreement was signed to improve salary conditions for physiotherapists and occupational therapists in Clalit’s community-based care units, an agreement to allocate funding for increased clinical training fees for instructors, and an agreement concerning training and a percentage-based bonus to be granted based on professional seniority. This wage agreement joins previous agreements signed for health professionals, including a unique 2021 agreement and the general collective agreement of 2023.
According to Eli Gabay, head of the Histadrut’s Medical and Health Professionals Union, the negotiations were carried out for about a year. He said that the union’s aim was to recruit and retain workers who might otherwise choose to work in the private sector.
“This is an excellent agreement that brings not only good news and rewards but will also encourage new workers to join the system and remain in it,” Prosper Ben Hamo, head of the Clalit workers union, said. “We will do everything to continue strengthening the public health care system.”
Minister of Health Uriel Buso described the agreement as “a significant milestone in improving conditions in the healthcare system and strengthening its long-term resilience.”
“Health professionals—physiotherapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, and speech therapists—are the backbone of rehabilitation and treatment services in Israel,” Buso said. “Their exceptional professionalism and effort are what enable the system to handle pressure and provide quality care to citizens, both in routine times and especially during crises. We are committed to strengthening these professions, supporting the dedicated professionals working for public health, and ensuring they receive the recognition and conditions they deserve.”
Buso’s director general, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, noted that the agreement was especially important given the growing need for child development services that has resulted from the ongoing war.
“This agreement provides substantial incentives to the essential professionals working in the field and supports continuity of care, expansion of services in the periphery, and training the next generation of therapists,” he said. “The Ministry of Health will continue to promote additional measures to ensure that every child receives the care they need—on time, in the right place, and with the appropriate quality.”
Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David said that the agreement would help health care workers receive the compensation they deserve. “I often meet with workers in the field in hospitals, and each time I’m struck by their dedication, professionalism, and seriousness toward patients. These workers, who are a vital and central pillar of the healthcare system—especially in light of the war—will now receive more appropriate compensation for their blessed work,” he said.
Inbal Roi, deputy commissioner for wages at the Ministry of Finance, said that the agreement would help improve the health care services provided to the public.
