Bromine Compounds Company of the ICL Group intends to take about 500 employees on a concentrated vacation

The Bromine Compounds Company of the ICL Group announced their intention to take about 500 employees on a concentrated vacation in the months of July-August, following the shutdown of some of the company's production facilities.
The company is suffering from a sharp drop in sales and is in a situation where its warehouses are full. The workers' committee announced that they are not ready to take them out on a concentrated forced leave of the workers. The chairman of the committee, Avner Ben Senior, said that "just as in the good days we worked together, even in the difficult days, we have to act together."
  In the first quarter report of the ICL company, published last May, they presented a 50% decrease in the profits of bromine-based industrial products. This is, among other things, due to a decrease in demand for electric vehicles in China, and a retreat in demand in the chip markets for vehicles and electronics. According to forecasts, the market is expected to recover towards the second half of the year.
In the financial report, they presented the losses in that there was a decrease in bromine sales compared to the corresponding quarter last year, due to a decrease in bromine prices and the weakening of demand, mainly for bromine-based flame retardants. The decrease in sales of flame retardants occurs in light of the weak demand in the end market for electronic products.
Spending on a concentrated vacation usually occurs during the holidays of Tishrei and Sukkot, so this is an unusual move, which causes concerns among the employees.
The bromine compounds plant is one of the largest of ICL's (ICL) production plants, and the bromine products produced at the plant are used in many sectors in industry and agriculture: food, fuel, pharmaceuticals, paints, cosmetics, photographic materials, pesticides and flame retardants.
The chairman of the Histadrut in the Negev, Norbert Bukovza, said that "we are on it. We will not allow harm to employees under any circumstances. If there is a real situation that requires taking employees on vacation, we will demand that it not be at their expense. We appreciate that this is a temporary period, and towards negotiations with the management. We hope that the situation will not worsen, because it is a decrease in sales and it has an effect. It is impossible to produce more for the warehouses."
Bromine Compounds said in response: "This is about examining options for extending a concentrated paid vacation for the purpose of adjusting outputs and inventory for the summer months. We do not usually negotiate with workers' unions in the media."