Salary supplement, insurance, and police escort: Tax Authority employees' demands before returning to Bnei Brak

Although almost two weeks have passed since the Tax Authority committed to returning to work in Bnei Brak, tax authority employees organized under the Histadrut have clarified that activity in the city will not resume until their security demands are fully met. In a sharp letter sent yesterday (Monday) by the chairman of the State Employees Union, Adv. Ofir Alkalai, to the director of the Tax Authority, Shay Aharonovich, he clarified that "employees will return to work in Bnei Brak only if the conditions agreed upon in our meeting are met."

Alkalai used his letter to reiterate his "shock and unequivocal condemnation" of the incident on July 16, in which tax inspectors patrolling the Kiryat Vizhnitz neighborhood were attacked by hundreds of ultra-Orthodox students. He noted that these acts "cross every red line and harm not only the employees themselves, but also the public service and the State of Israel itself." As recalled, following the attack on authority employees who arrived for a routine inspection, it was decided to freeze aid to Bnei Brak residents whose homes were damaged during the war with Iran.

Alkalai noted in his letter the main demands that are a prerequisite for the employees' return to the city. According to him:

"The entry of employees into Bnei Brak and other localities where there is an increased potential for violent incidents will be carried out solely by prior coordination and with the accompaniment of the Israel Police."

The letter also demands that "additional technological security measures be provided to employees," and that "dedicated insurance regulation for special roles and roles with an increased risk level" be implemented alongside a "risk supplement to the salary." Alkalai concludes his letter with a direct warning to the Tax Authority management, clarifying that the suspension of services in Bnei Brak may even expand: "If the Tax Authority management does not act immediately and sufficiently to implement all the measures required for the protection of the employees, we will not hesitate to use all the organizational, public, and legal means at our disposal until a safe and protected work environment is ensured."

As published in ynet, the day after the attack on the inspectors in Bnei Brak, the director of the Tax Authority sent a sharp letter to Mayor Hanoch Zeibert and announced that he had ordered an immediate cessation of handling property damage for city residents caused during Israel's fighting in Iran in the operations "Im Klavia" and "Shaagat HaAri." Aharonovich noted that the employees "experienced a lynching by hundreds of people," and attacked the silence of the local authority: "To my astonishment, the Bnei Brak Municipality did not find it appropriate to condemn the violence. I have no choice but to conclude that Tax Authority employees are not welcome in your city."

However, on July 19, the Tax Authority announced a return to activity in Bnei Brak, following a meeting in the mayor's office attended by senior authority officials. As mentioned, the State Employees Union reiterated that employees will not return to the city until their demands are met. The Tax Authority responded: "The Tax Authority management maintains close cooperation with the State Employees Union and the workers' committee representation to ensure the full and safe return of authority employees to ongoing work in Bnei Brak. As part of this, a work meeting was recently held with the Bnei Brak police, in which understandings and decisions were reached regarding the possibility of performing the Tax Authority's duties in a way that will ensure the full safety and security of the employees in the field."