Protest Leaders Call for Workers Strike on Monday over Judicial Overhaul

Protest leaders have called for a worker strike all over the country on Monday against the judicial overhaul plans of the government.

This would mark an escalation in the protests against the controversial proposals that have been put forward.

The protestors have also called for a huge rally on Monday in Jerusalem outside the Knesset, along with protests in other cities.

Escalation

The strike would happen on the same day as the first round of voting will commence on the planned legislation.

According to protest organizers, numerous organizations, which include civil society groups and companies, are on board with the planned strike.

The organizers said that this struggle was the most important one because it was for the independence of the country as a democratic and Jewish state.

Moshe Ya’alon, the former defense minister, said that there is a political and leadership crisis taking place in Israel and they have not seen something like this since independence was declared.

He is a prominent opponent of the new government and said that a number of citizens were concerned about the state’s future.

He said that majority rule should not mean tyranny and the judicial overhaul is nothing less than a regime coup.

He added that it was an illegal and criminal government and urged labor and other organizations to allow their workers to participate in the strike.

Strike call

On Monday, Labor MK Gilad Kariv called for mass protests and worker strikes after the announcement from coalition MK Simcha Rothman about the government’s plan of voting on the legislation.

Kariv said that the moment of truth was drawing closer, as the coalition of corruption and destruction would soon introduce the legislation of the judges’ appointment for its first reading in the next few days.

He stated that it was time for them to move forward from protests to strikes that should happen in businesses, schools as well as cultural events.

He said that millions of citizens should come out for demonstrations and tens of thousands of people should come outside the Knesset on the voting day.

The process

The head of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Rothman told the members on Wednesday to begin making preparations for initial voting on the legislation.

The coalition is planning on holding the first reading of the said bills in the Knesset as soon as Monday. After the first reading, the bills would return for further preparations to the committee.

They would then go back to the Knesset for two more readings. The opposition could submit reservations to slow down the process.

It said that it wants the committee to have more speakers. Last week, Rothman had also submitted legislation design to restrict the right of union members to go on labor strikes.

On Tuesday, workers of the tech sector had taken to the streets for an hour to conduct a symbolic strike against the government’s planned judicial overhaul.

Saturday had seen the fifth anti-government rally conducted, which was attended by tens of thousands of people.