Jerusalem Bus Drivers Strike One Hour Over Recent Violent Attack
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Jerusalem's Superbus workers are striking for one hour Wednesday to protest a violent weekend attack on a bus driver, demanding better safety measures. The labor court allowed the strike despite the company's opposition. No suspects have been caught yet, and the company condemned the violence while seeking police help to prevent future attacks.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Jerusalem Superbus workers strike one hour Wednesday protesting a violent weekend bus driver attack.
- The labor court allowed the strike, recognizing workers' right to protest for safety.
- The attacked driver suffered broken teeth and facial injuries; no suspects arrested yet.
- Union criticizes company and Ministry of Transportation for inadequate response to violence.
- Superbus regrets service disruption but prioritizes employee safety and calls for police action.
- Related incident involved ultra-Orthodox attacking an Arab bus driver, causing serious injury.
The Superbus transportation workers' union in Jerusalem has announced a one-hour strike on Wednesday from 14:00 to 15:00 affecting Superbus lines in the Jerusalem cluster, excluding the minibus lines to the Old City which had already struck the previous Sunday. The strike is a protest against the violent assault on a bus driver over the past weekend, where a group of youths attacked the driver on Saturday night, breaking his teeth and causing facial injuries. The union criticized the company management for refusing to allow a temporary halt of bus lines following the serious attack. No suspects have been arrested yet.
The Jerusalem Regional Labor Court rejected Superbus's request for an injunction against the strike but permitted the one-hour protest, recognizing the workers' legitimate right to protest for their safety. Itai Cohen, head of the transportation division at the union, condemned the company's lack of communication with the workers' committee and called for public recognition of public transport workers and harsher penalties for attackers. He also criticized the Ministry of Transportation's response, which involved only three armed security guards.
Superbus expressed regret over the court's decision and the expected disruption to passengers but emphasized that driver and employee safety remains their top priority. The company condemned all violence against its staff and stated that service disruption is not the right solution. They pledged to continue cooperating fully with authorities and urged the Israeli police to intensify efforts to find the attackers and prevent future incidents. The article also references a related incident where ultra-Orthodox individuals attacked an Arab bus driver, breaking four of his teeth.
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