The Israeli Teachers' Union threatened on Sunday to go on strike if starting wages for teachers are not raised by the beginning of the next school year in September.
Officially filing a labor dispute, the union called for an agreement on an improved wage structure to be reached with the Finance Ministry which will "prevent the mass exodus of teachers and educators."
Union head Yaffa Ben-David called for ministers to intervene, claiming the Israeli government is "dealing with every issue but the collapse of the education system."
The Finance Ministry released a statement on the teachers' union labor dispute, stating it is "disappointed that time and again, the union prefers to threaten with strikes rather than have a dialogue."