Political Movement - Zionist Organizations - Histadrut
The Histadrut ("Federation" [of labor])
or HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael (ההסתדרות הכללית של
העובדים בארץ ישראל) (Hebrew: "General Federation of Laborers in the Land
of Israel") is the Israeli trade union congress.
It was founded in December 1920 in Haifa as a Jewish trade union which
would also provide services for members such as an employment exchange,
sick pay, and consumer benefits. Its initial goals were to provide a
federation for all Jewish workers in the British Mandate of Palestine,
promote land settlement, promote workers' rights against management and
to promote Jewish employment despite the lower wages paid to Arabs. The
Histadrut had approximately 4,400 members in 1920 and grew to 8,394
members in 1922 or just over half of the Jewish working class. By 1927
the body claimed 25,000 members or 75% of the Jewish workforce in
Palestine.
The Histadrut became one of the most powerful institutions in the state
of Israel, a mainstay of the Labour Zionist movement and, aside from
being a trade union, its nation-building role made it the owner of a
number of businesses and factories and the largest employer in the
state.
Through its economic arm, Hevrat HaOvdim ("Society of Workers"), the
Histadrut owned and operated a number of enterprises including the
country's largest industrial conglomerates as well as the country's
second largest bank, Bank HaPoalim. The Histadrut also provided a
comprehensive health care system.
Its membership in 1983 was 1,600,000 (including dependants), accounting
for more than one-third of the total population of Israel and about 85
percent of all wage earners. About 170,000 Histadrut members were Arabs
(who were admitted to membership starting in 1959). In 1989, the
Histadrut was the employer of approximately 280,000 workers.
With the increasing liberalization of the Israeli economy since the
1980s, the role and size of Histadrut has declined though it still
remains a powerful force in Israeli society and the nation's economy.
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histadrut
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