Yad Vashem puts 107 workers on unpaid leave, union sues
The union invited workers to rally in the square before the court on Thursday.
By ROSSELLA TERCATINYad Vashem Security guard stnds at the empty Hall of Names in the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum(photo credit: FLASH90)
The Yad Vashem workers union has announced that it is appealing the decision of the museum to put 107 employees on unpaid leave for four months.Yad Vashem, a pillar of Holocaust remembrance in Israel and the whole world, has been closed since March 15 because of the measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. However, according to outlines proposed by different ministries to lift up restrictions in the coming weeks, museums should be allowed to reopen around mid-May.About 600 people in total work for the institution, in addition to over 100 tour guides which were put on unpaid leave when the museum closed.The case will be discussed before the Regional Labor Court in Jerusalem on Thursday morning. In the meantime, the union recommended its workers to apply for unemployment benefits.Moreover, it stated that they tried to negotiate with the management so that the period of the unpaid leave would only be of 30 days, until the end of May, during which further discussions would take place to consider extending it for three months, but also to consider better options for the workers. The negotiations were fruitless.The union invited workers to rally in the square before the court on Thursday.
