Workers at Bank Hapoalim’s IT Subsidiary Strike Over Remote Work Dispute

A labor dispute at Matav, the IT and operations subsidiary of Bank Hapoalim, has escalated after negotiations broke down on Tuesday. The workers’ union announced active industrial action following the management’s demand to reduce remote work from two days a week to just one. The negotiation meeting, which included representatives from the Histadrut labor federation and company management, ended without agreement.

Union representatives claimed police were called when they attempted to meet with the bank’s board members, but Bank Hapoalim firmly denied any police involvement or board participation in the talks. The union said the management justified the remote work cut as a directive from the board, prompting union members to seek a meeting with board members on-site, which was denied.

In response to the deadlock, the union, with Histadrut’s approval, initiated a work stoppage affecting the bank’s emergency IT communication channel, "911 Updated," from 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. This channel handles urgent technical issues outside regular hours. The union warned this is only the first step and threatened to expand industrial actions if the remote work and collective agreement issues remain unresolved.

This escalation follows the union’s recent call for workers to boycott the annual banking system readiness drill, "Tisha B’Av Exercise," although the Histadrut did not support that move and the drill proceeded as planned. Matav employs about 500 workers and serves as the technological and operational arm of Bank Hapoalim. The collective agreement expired at the end of 2023, and negotiations for renewal have stalled for over six months, with disputes over signing bonuses and workday length.

Bank Hapoalim emphasized its commitment to uninterrupted customer service despite the ongoing labor tensions.