The Salit workers’ struggle – achievements and limitations
Following a prolonged struggle and a three-month-long strike during the last summer the Salit quarry was declared bankrupt and placed in the head of the receivers. On 12 December 2011 the Jerusalem District court gave its imprimatur to a creditors’ arrangement for the quarry. The settlement ensured financial compensation to the employees but enabled the construction companies to take over the quarry without any commitment to employ the workers. Notwithstanding the Israeli institutional indifference to the fate of the Palestinian workers, the Salit employees and the Workers Advice Center (WAC-MAAN) succeeded in demonstrating the power of cross-border solidarity. There are some important lessons embedded in this historical and ongoing struggle.
