Israel Sees 88% Drop in Strike Days in 2025 Amid Security Concerns
Israel experienced a dramatic 88% decrease in lost workdays due to strikes in 2025, with only 90,000 days lost compared to 762,000 in 2024. This significant decline, reported by Adv. Revital Rabiner, Chief Labor Relations Commissioner at the Ministry of Labor, is attributed in part to the security situation stemming from the "Swords of Iron" war and the "Operation Brother's Keeper" in 2024, which acted as a moderating factor on labor disputes. Despite a similar number of strikes in 2025 as in 2024, their intensity was lower, resulting in fewer lost workdays and a 10% reduction in participating workers.
Notably, 40% of the strikes in 2025 were protests against violence towards employees, particularly in the education and transportation sectors, a sharp increase from 12% in 2024. While strikes tended to be short, often lasting two to four days, work sanctions ("iyutzim") were more prolonged, with some extending for weeks or even months, such as a 320-day sanction at the ORT school network. The total economic cost of strikes in 2025 was estimated at approximately 79.3 million shekels in lost wages and 125.9 million shekels in lost GDP.
The Ministry of Labor's Labor Relations Unit mediated 143 labor disputes in 2025, with about 90% not escalating to organizational action. The ministry estimates that its intervention saved the economy around 157.4 million shekels in lost wages and 259.2 million shekels in lost GDP. The public sector accounted for the majority of labor actions and lost workdays, with education and higher education being the most affected sectors, followed by civil service and local administration.
Adv. Rabiner highlighted that while preventing strikes is a success, the high percentage of strikes caused by violence against workers serves as a significant warning. She emphasized that violence against educators, medical staff, transportation workers, and public servants cannot become routine. Ministry of Labor Director General Robi Shemesh added that professional handling of labor disputes has tangible economic value, preventing crises and saving hundreds of millions of shekels.
