„An amazing Update from Standing Together„
Yesterday we passed our bill to raise the minimum wage to NIS 40, in a preliminary reading in the Knesset. Only 4 Knesset members opposed a bill, including the Prime Minister. This is a moment to celebrate an important victory: A victory that got us closer to helping over a million workers who earn a minimum wage, that put an issue with 83% of the public support on the main table, and created political partnerships never seen before. „
During the ten months of the struggle, we heard all kinds of „experts“ who told us that we would not succeed and that there was no chance, but we proved them wrong. When the Minister of Finance, the Manufacturers Association of Israel, and the H
istadrut (National trade union center) agreed on a package deal that included a „wage increase“ of 54 agorot (cents) per hour – there were those who underestimated our ability to influence the deal, but we blocked it entirely. Even now, after a minimum 40 law has been passed in a preliminary reading, there are those who argue that it does not mean much.
So we say it as clearly as possible: people who are united around a just demand, and a shared interest, and who organize to build power – can also do what seems impossible and unattainable. We have hope, and the power to change our reality.
diak.org 