Rothman threatens ‘political’ response to labor federation’s strike against overhaul

The far-right chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday threatened the country’s main labor union after it called a strike in opposition to the government’s plans for a drastic overhaul of the judiciary.

MK Simcha Rothman, a key architect of the overhaul, told Army Radio that the strike called the day before by the Histadrut labor federation was “illegal” because it was for political purposes and said that it only harmed workers’ rights.

Rothman, of the Religious Zionism party, said that if someone makes use of their economic power or that of a workers organization for political purposes, “it should come as no surprise that action will be taken against him in the same way, for political reasons.”

Rothman did not clarify what such action might be in his remarks, which were also directed at businesses and companies that joined the strike.

The Histadrut called the strike Monday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister Yoav Gallant for urging a halt to the government’s legislative blitz for the judiciary changes. Firing Gallant prompted mass demonstrations across the country against the legislation, which has already faced weeks of protests attended by hundreds of thousands of people.

Following the strike declaration, flights out of the country’s main international gateway Ben Gurion Airport were halted for hours. Stores, companies, and banks across the country began to close their doors on Monday afternoon as they joined the strike. Tech companies shut their doors and restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and Aroma announced that they too would cease operations. Multiple hotel chains said they would also join the strike, offering very limited services to guests.

Netanyahu later that evening announced that he was pausing the legislation to prevent civil war and enable dialogue with opposition parties on the matter, at which point the Histadrut immediately called off the strike.

Rothman told Army Radio he was not disappointed by Netanyahu’s move but nevertheless said he doesn’t think it was right to halt the legislation.

He said the government was being “responsible” by announcing the pause while accusing the opposition of having acted “with extreme irresponsibility.”

Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David had previously suggested the federation could take action if no compromise judicial reform deal was reached, but had until now refrained from involving the powerful union in the demonstrations against the far-reaching proposals to curb the judiciary. Historically, Histadrut strikes over public sector wages and conditions have had a profound impact on the country and its economy.

Last month, the Histadrut declined to take part in a “national day of struggle,” amid speculation that it was not looking for a fight with the new coalition before a new wage agreement could be finalized, with Bar-David repeatedly calling for compromise. A new wage deal was signed earlier this month.

The judicial changes will remove the Supreme Court’s ability to act as a check against the government by enabling parliament to overrule it and legislate laws even if the court strikes them down. The government will also gain control of the panel that selects court judges, among other far-reaching changes.

There have been weekly mass protests for nearly three months against the planned legislation, and a rising wave of objections by top public figures including the president, jurists and business leaders.

President Isaac Herzog has pleaded with the government to abandon its “oppressive” judicial overhaul and replace it with a framework for consensual reform.