Hundreds of workers from Haifa Chemicals blocked major intersections in Tel Aviv March 28 to protest the threat of layoffs hanging over them. The incident raised little interest publicly, politically or in the media.
It is hard to avoid comparing the scope of coverage they received with another employment crisis: the closing of the bankrupt Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), which involves laying off some 1,000 employees by May 1, to establish the IBA's replacement, the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBC). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying mightily to prevent the launch of the PBC, while Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon is doing everything he can to stop him.