Israel Teachers' Union announces nationwide strike for April 30

Israel's Teachers' Union announced on Friday that instructors for grades 10 and 11 would strike for one day on Sunday, April 30. 

This decision, according to the union, came after the finance and education ministries did not meet their requirements after a year of "fruitless negotiations."

The chairman of Israel's Secondary School Teachers' Organization said: "I am sorry to see the lack of interest shown by Education Minister Yoav Kisch in the goings-on of the education system...and the contempt of the [Finance Ministry] toward the claims of the secondary school teachers."

The union is set to announce its next steps on Sunday. 

The issue of educator wage in Israel 

The overall goal of the strike is to apply pressure on the government to raise teachers' wages. 

In March, Hebrew Ulpan teachers went on strike in protest of their low salaries. This was part of an ongoing struggle for better pay. 

Hundreds of Ulpan teachers in the various Hebrew courses around the country announced on Sunday, March 19 morning that they will use their sick days and not come in to teach. As a result, the Ulpans will remain closed and no classes will be held.

In recent months, the Ulpan teachers, who work for the Education Ministry and are represented by the Teachers' Union, have been fighting and demanding that a new wage agreement be applied to them that will improve their salary.

Education Minister's response

Education Minister Yoav Kitsch stated that this strike is only hurting students and that "the Education Ministry will do everything necessary to prevent this wild strike.

"Every dispute has its place, but not at the cost of harming the students of Israel," he said on Twitter.