Workers Escalate Dispute at Bank Hapoalim's Tech Arm Over Work Conditions

The labor dispute at Matef, the technology and computing division of Bank Hapoalim Group employing around 500 workers, is intensifying. The workers' committee, supported by the Maof Labor Federation, announced expanded organizational actions following a breakdown in collective agreement negotiations last week. The immediate trigger for the escalation is management's decision to assign employees to bank branches, replacing the previous work arrangement.

The workers' committee accuses management of attempting to divide direct Matef employees from external and project workers, who are allowed to continue working remotely two days a week. New directives from the committee instruct employees to refuse remote work registration at branches and avoid attending them. They will also freeze all updates in the Jira task management system, including opening, updating, or canceling tasks, uploading files, or opening related links. Additionally, workers will cease all communications in official WhatsApp and Telegram groups outside working hours.

Dudu Dahan, the workers' committee chairman, condemned management's "divide and conquer" approach, stating it will fail and emphasizing the workers' professionalism and commitment. He vowed to firmly defend workers' rights against unilateral changes.

This escalation follows a rare incident last week at the bank's Tel Aviv headquarters on Rothschild Street, where collective agreement talks collapsed. Committee representatives sought to address the board meeting but claimed the board interfered by demanding cuts to existing rights, including reducing remote work days. They also alleged police were called to remove them from the premises.