Israeli Lands Authority Workers in Haifa Halt Public Service Over Treasury Policy Change

Employees of the Israel Lands Authority (ILA) in Haifa have stopped serving the public at the IBM building in Merom Carmel as a form of protest. This action follows a unilateral decision by the Ministry of Finance to cancel the "half-hour adaptation period" previously granted to workers after their forced relocation to distant and less accessible workplaces. The Treasury claims the temporary office has become a permanent workplace, prompting the policy change, which it intends to apply broadly to all state employees displaced from their original offices.

The dispute stems from the aftermath of an Iranian missile strike on June 20, 2025, that severely damaged the "Sail Tower" office complex in Haifa's Government Complex. The building was declared unsafe and closed, leading to a scattered relocation of government offices across the region. Some services moved outside Haifa, such as the Tax Authority to Acre and the Population and Immigration Authority to Kiryat Ata, while others, including the Justice Ministry units and various health and education offices, relocated within Haifa but to less accessible areas. The ILA moved its public reception to Merom Carmel.

On July 1, 2026, the chairman of the State Employees Union, Adv. Ofir Elkaly, sent a sharp letter to Noy Sofer, Deputy Wage Supervisor at the Treasury, condemning the cancellation of the adaptation time as a breach of existing agreements. Elkaly emphasized that employees had continued to provide excellent public service despite significant challenges and warned that the Treasury's new stance represents a drastic and unfair change. The union cautioned that the move would severely impact parents and older workers and threatened to escalate the conflict through organizational and legal measures if the adaptation period was not reinstated immediately.

Copies of the letter were sent to key officials, including the General Federation of Labor chairman Arnon Bar-David, ILA Director Yehuda Eliyahu, and Treasury Wage and Labor Agreements Supervisor Effi Malkin. The situation remains unresolved, with potential for further labor actions.

Summary: Haifa's Israel Lands Authority workers have ceased public service in protest against the Ministry of Finance's cancellation of a half-hour adaptation period following their forced office relocation after an Iranian missile strike damaged their original building. The State Employees Union condemns the decision as a breach of agreement and warns of escalating labor actions if reversed.

Points: - ILA workers in Haifa stopped public reception at Merom Carmel due to Treasury policy changes. - The Ministry of Finance canceled the "half-hour adaptation" time after forced office relocations. - The relocations followed an Iranian missile strike on Haifa's Government Complex in June 2025. - The State Employees Union called the Treasury's move a unilateral breach of agreement. - Union threatens legal and organizational actions if the adaptation period is not reinstated. - Government offices remain scattered across Haifa and nearby cities due to delayed repairs.

Topic: politics

Entities: {"people":["Ofir Elkaly","Noy Sofer","Arnon Bar-David","Yehuda Eliyahu","Effi Malkin"],"organizations":["Israel Lands Authority","Ministry of Finance","State Employees Union","General Federation of Labor"],"places":["Haifa","Merom Carmel","Government Complex Haifa","Acre","Kiryat Ata"]}