SAP Israel employees protested on Friday morning outside the home of the company’s CEO, Orna Kleinman, in a moshav in the Sharon region, following management’s intention to move toward canceling the company’s collective agreements. SAP is the fifth largest non-American software company.
The workers carried signs reading: “SAP without workers is just code,” “Rights aren’t erased at the click of a button,” and “An agreement is a commitment, not an option.” Workers’ committees from other companies, including Pelephone, Cellcom, ECI, the International Bank, Assuta, and others, came to support and express solidarity.
SAP Israel’s management announced more than a month ago the unusual step of applying to the Ministry of Labor to cancel the collective agreements—this while it was engaged in negotiations with the workers’ committee to renew the company’s collective agreement.
Since then, intensive talks, both public and behind the scenes, have taken place between the committee and the Histadrut and the company’s management, in an effort to reverse the decision. After no progress was made, the Histadrut declared a labor dispute about two weeks ago, and now, following the legally mandated waiting period, employees are launching protest measures and the struggle is escalating.
Gad Ravid, chairman of the SAP workers’ committee, said: “There is one address and one party responsible for the crisis the company has reached—and it’s not the employees, but the CEO. We came today to tell her that clearly. Even in the high-tech world, workers are human beings, and you can’t erase rights and agreements at the click of a button as if we were Excel spreadsheets. We are open to negotiations, but we will not accept unilateral measures that harm the most dedicated and professional employees.”
SAP Israel’s management said in response to an inquiry from Davar that the high-tech sector is changing rapidly in both pace and scope, and that artificial intelligence technology is transforming how every tech company operates, competes, and grows. According to the Israeli management, measures adopted at other SAP sites around the world have not yet been implemented in Israel.
In a company statement, it was said: “The existing agreement, signed in 2017, was built for a different era and does not reflect current needs. Therefore, SAP has proposed a new collective agreement tailored to the AI era and the realities of today’s industry. Our employees deserve for this to be resolved around the negotiating table, that is where real progress happens. SAP will continue to conduct negotiations in good faith, with the clear goal of reaching a collective agreement that reflects the important role of the Israeli team.”
