The Histadrut announced a labor dispute at Bank Leumi regarding requirement to outsource computing workers

The Histadrut announced today that it has declared a labor dispute at Bank Leumi. This is against the background of the Bank's management's requirement to outsource computing workers, without negotiating with the workers' representatives, as required in organized labor relations. The employees demand that all the core computer services be left in the hands of the bank's employees, and fear that this is a move aimed at weakening the organized work at the bank.
The conflict affects about 7,700 bank employees throughout the country, and its announcement allows the Histadrut to take organizational measures. A mediation process that took place between the Histadrut, the workers' representatives and the management - did not succeed, following the management's entrenchment in its demand to outsource workers.
The Histadrut noted that "between the Histadrut Maof, which represents Bank Leumi employees, and the bank's management, there have been collective agreements for years, which regulate the labor relations in the company. However, the management recently unilaterally decided to transfer activity to an external computer company, and demanded that its computer employees assist in training the employees of that company in outsourcing. This is done unilaterally, forcefully, and without negotiating with the workers' representatives and with the Histadrut, as is required when there is a substantial change in the work format. "