Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini today warned that if the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) was not satisfied with the Trajtenberg committee recommendations, due next week, he would we respond.
"There are a lot of leaks from the committee, but I don’t rely on leaks, which by nature serve somebody's special interest. It is said that the social protest is a protest by the middle class, but it also a protest by the poor. If there is no news about housing, for the poor or pensioners, and other issues, then the recommendations do not answer the protest's demands, as far as I'm concerned," said Eini at the New Year's toast for Histadrut pensioners.
"The Histadrut has joined the protest and Histadrut people are participating in the some of the demonstrations. Pensioners have also demonstrated. We said at the start that of the protest that we'd use all the means at our disposal. Therefore, when the official recommendations are published, we'll respond to them, and when I say we'll respond - the implication is clear."
Eini slammed the reduced bond payments that tycoons are offering and their affect on pensioners. "In 2003, we transferred pension money to the capital market instead of continuing to invest in designated government bonds. Since there was nowhere else to invest, we gave loans to anyone who asked. We gave money to tycoons and now they want to give us haircuts. The problem is that our money has already been eroded, and we're already bald. There is nothing to cut."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 18, 2011
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