Histadrut Chief Arnon Bar-David Fires Chair of Social Sciences Union Amid Internal Conflict

Arnon Bar-David, chairman of the Histadrut labor federation, announced on Sunday the dismissal of Alexandra Krushinsky, chair of the Histadrut's Social Sciences and Humanities Union (Machar). This rare and exceptional firing followed ongoing clashes between the two and accusations that Krushinsky had long defied organizational authority. In a letter to Machar members, Bar-David described the decision as difficult, noting he had never before removed a union chair from office.

Bar-David explained that the dismissal came after a lengthy process of review and consultation, with issues dating back to the previous Histadrut chairman. He cited a series of incidents, serious complaints from union members, managerial failures, and deepening trust crises. Some of these problems led to psychologists petitioning to form a separate union, which was subsequently established. Bar-David also criticized Krushinsky for signing only three minor collective agreements in nine years, suggesting she spent much of her time on seminars and family vacations domestically and abroad.

Krushinsky responded by accusing Bar-David of attempting to remove her from a position she was democratically elected to by the union members to represent them before employers and Histadrut institutions. She condemned the move as an attempt to strip members of their basic democratic right to choose their representative and emphasized that their independence within the Histadrut depends on elected leadership, not appointed or dictated authority. She called for any concerns about the union leadership or her performance to be brought before the union members, who alone should decide who represents them and whether they fulfill their duties faithfully.