Yesterday’s Strike Was Painful — and Mostly Unnecessary.

If only the Israel Teachers’ Union had taken off its boxing gloves and used its head — the strike could have been avoided.

Police officers, nurses, doctors, social workers, career military personnel, prison staff, and municipal workers — all faced the same budget cuts and managed to cope with them wisely. Arnon Bar-David, Chairman of the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel), was pragmatic – understanding that war necessitates across-the-board cuts and believing it was not right to paralyze the economy. In contrast, secretary-general of the Teachers’ Union Yaffa Ben-David, chose to head straight into the rocks and drag the entire education system with her.

Ben-David is trying to promote the narrative that the Ministry of Finance is targeting teachers. In reality, salary reductions could have been minimized, and the crisis weathered with far less harm had she acted responsibly.

A Nation at War

Israel is at war — a painful and costly war.

Entire sectors understand that now is a time to tighten the belt. It’s unpleasant, but there is little other choice. The Ministry of Finance offered the Teachers’ Union alternatives to direct salary cuts.

For instance, they proposed canceling this year’s welfare budget – which funds performances and cultural events sponsored by the Teachers’ Union – a budget of close to 150 million shekels per year, transferred directly from the Treasury to the union’s coffers.

Sadly, the union refused. Undoubtedly, teachers would have gladly given up a subsidized concert or trip to Eilat in exchange for maintaining their salaries.

Believe it or not, they would have also given up the teachers’ magazine. Even the teacher’s planner could have been surrendered. If cuts are needed, you trim the fat, not the meat. The problem is the union’s lack of flexibility about what to cut. The union also rejected other proposals — essentially kicking the teachers into their own goal.

There Was Another Way

An across-the-board salary cut in the Ministry of Education is a nonsensical move, equally affecting both essential and non-essential components of the education budget .

Imagine if teachers’ salaries didn’t come through the state. Schools would instead receive per-student funding and pay the teachers themselves, managing their budgets independently — a model already adopted in many countries. In such a scenario, each educational institution or municipality could choose the least harmful way to slash spending.

Maybe switch to a 5-day school week. Maybe pay homeroom teachers significantly more than others. Maybe cancel some activities, or reduce teaching staff. Budgetary flexibility could be the key to saving the system — especially during cutbacks.

The Secondary School Teachers’ Association is notably not on strike. A letter published by its chairman clarifies their position — and even more interestingly, explains what the Teachers’ Union is really after:

“The Teachers’ Union isn’t fighting the salary deductions — the union also understands it can’t strike against the law — it’s striking to gain the compensation of four extra vacation days.”

The reason for Ben-David’s strike, then, is a push for more vacation time. Again, it seems teachers and their union are not playing the same field: while teachers want minimal pay cuts during wartime, the union is gunning for days off.

Another Own Goal: Blocking Individual Contracts

Another own-goal Ben-David scored is the issue of personal employment contracts. The union adamantly refuses to allow in-system teachers to work under personal contracts, and threatened a strike only a few months ago. It also blocks schools from hiring new teachers under individual agreements.

Thus, the Teachers’ Union simultaneously complains about staffing shortage and actively prevents capable new educators from entering the system, some of whom could earn up to 15,000 shekels a month.

The union’s legendary slogan is “Together for You”. It sounds rather hollow today.