Netanyahu presents benefits package to stave off general strike

[Enrique]

Source: Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/netanyahu-presents-benefits-package-in-bid-to-stave-off-general-strike-1.342541

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the Israeli public with a package of benefits on Thursday, in which the minimum wage will increase, and gasoline, water and public transportation prices will decrease.

The steps Netanyahu presented along with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz on Thursday are an effort to stave off a general strike due to the recent price hikes of basic goods such as bread, water, and gasoline.

During a government press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu announced that the minimum wage will increase by NIS 450 per month, gasoline prices will decrease by 23 agorot, the water usage quota will decrease by 20% and public transportation prices will decrease by 10%.

"We are faced with a third crisis that is linked to the 2008 financial crisis," said Netanyahu at the press conference. The recovering economies demand a huge amount of energy – they drink lots of oil, which results in rising oil prices – and as a result gasoline prices rise, as do costs of transportation and food.

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Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/netanyahu-presents-benefits-package-in-bid-to-stave-off-general-strike-1.342541

[Sanity Claws]

1. Potential revolution in Israel??

We've been focused on the Arab countries in the Middle East. I wonder if the Israelis are also tired of being used by a government that doesn't represent their best interests.

[villager]

2. imagine if the American public had the basic degree of self-respect leading to a general strike

...or even a potential one.