Paralyzing Strike Ends in Israel
TEL AVIV — Hard-pressed union and government negotiators struck a deal Sunday to end a nationwide public-employee strike that had shut down much of Israel for five days.
The walkout by more than 600,000 workers had stranded travelers at the national airport and closed banks, post offices, kindergartens and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Histadrut union leader Amir Peretz announced Sunday that a meeting with Finance Minister Yaacov Neeman produced a compromise over pensions, sending strikers back to work late Sunday.
The massive protest had been prompted in part by a Finance Ministry proposal to roll back a pension pact signed by the previous, Labor government.
Army Radio said talks on ways to honor the agreement would begin immediately.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was pleased that the work stoppage was over, Israel TV reported.
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