The strike in Haifa's transportation services was canceled on Wednesday (4/2/26) • Update

Update as of today (Tuesday 3/2/26):

From Superbus delivered to the mouth"We welcome the fact that following the Superbus company's appeal to the court to prevent the strike, the Workers' Power organization came to its senses and accepted Superbus' position in full, even before the regional court was called to the matter and canceled their biased and irresponsible declaration of a strike."
"Superbus will continue to act with determination and commitment to provide quality, safe and reliable service to its customers, and will continue to act with all means at its disposal to eradicate violence against public transportation workers, while genuinely and honestly caring for and protecting the workers' conditions."

On behalf of the employees, the following was conveyed to them: Workers' Power responded to the request of the National Labor Court - the strike planned for tomorrow at Superbus has been postponed. "To our regret, the involvement of external parties was used as a tool by management as an excuse to abandon the negotiations and leave the violent atmosphere in the company intact."

With the support of the majority of the company's employees behind us, we will quickly prove that we are the representative organization in the company, we will remove the management's cleverness from the table, and we will continue to lead the fight against violence on public transportation and the rights of public transportation workers.

Superbus Company told the newspaper today (Monday, 2/2/26):

The Superbus company appealed to the Regional Labor Court and filed a request for an injunction to stop the strike and prevent harm to its employees and the daily lives of millions of passengers: "The company will not allow harm to its employees and the traveling public because of political interests and will do everything in its power within the framework of the law to prevent this harm."

Published on Sunday 1/2/26

(haipo) – On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, the "Power for Workers" union will shut down the Superbus company for three hours, in protest of what was defined as the company's "severe incompetence" in handling a wave of violent incidents against drivers and passengers, and its refusal to continue the mediation process with the Ministry of Labor and negotiate with the workers' committee.

On behalf of the employees, I was told:

According to the Superbus Workers' Committee, last November there were 11 serious incidents of violence on the company's lines, involving the use of tear gas, stones and physical attacks, nine of them in a single day. Despite the Ministry of Transportation's guidelines allowing for the diversion of lines in times of danger, the company's management refused to make changes to the routes.
In addition, according to the police statement, the company refrained from transmitting security camera videos after some of the incidents, which exacerbated tensions between the parties.

Negotiations collapsed: Company management withdrew from the brokerage

After declaring the labor dispute about two months ago, the workers' committee turned to the regional labor relations supervisor, Attorney Libka Halabi Hasson, for a mediation process. However, at the end of last week, Superbus management announced its withdrawal from the process and its refusal to continue negotiations, a step that led to the decision to strike.

Voices from the Field: "Aliya to the Line Has Become a War of Survival"

Micha Vaknin, Chairman of the Superbus Workers' Committee, sharply attacked the company's management: "The awl is out of the bag, the management has no interest in fighting the scourge of violence. Instead of protecting its employees, it uses cameras to fine drivers for minor disciplinary offenses. It's time to recalculate the course."

A worker from Haysan, member of the Jerusalem committee, described a difficult reality on the city's lines: "Getting on the line in Jerusalem has become a departure for war. Drivers are afraid to get on because they know what awaits them, tear gas, stones, racist insults. It is unclear how no attack has led to a line being diverted or a temporary suspension of service."

Employee requirements: security, privacy, and basic conditions

Itai Cohen, Head of the Transportation Branch at "Workers' Power", noted that alongside the issue of violence, the workers are also demanding annual vacation as is customary in the industry, protection of the driver's privacy on the bus, and payment of benefits that were denied to them.
"Superbus employees are tired of waiting for the next violent incident. If management doesn't cooperate, they have no choice but to act."

Where will the strike be felt?

The strike will take place on Wednesday for three hours and will affect Superbus lines in the cities of: Jerusalem, Haifa (the Metro), Afula, Tiberias, Yokneam, Beit Shean, Migdal HaEmek, Osfia, Dalit El-Carmel, Holon and Petah Tikva.

The Superbus company responded:

In light of the announcement by 'Power for Workers' to Superbus that they are choosing to stop the mediation process and are declaring a strike in the coming days, Superbus clarified:

"The awl is out of the bag. The 'Workers' Power' organization is operating for political reasons at the expense of public transportation workers and passengers."
The decision of the Workers' Power organization to declare a strike is unfortunate evidence that the organization's interests outweigh the welfare of the workers.
Unfortunately, although Superbus allowed fair competition between labor organizations, and was careful not to interfere in order to allow its employees to freely choose their labor organization, it is now clear to everyone that the unnecessary strike declaration by the Workers' Power did not stem from a sincere concern for the workers' conditions, but rather from an attempt by the organization to consolidate its position in the face of competition from the National Federation. This is a political move in which workers and passengers become, against their will, tools in power games between organizations.
While Superbus is doing everything it can to combat the issue of violence against public transportation workers and is accompanying its employees with dedication throughout the process, and is also upholding the collective agreement to its letter, the organization is busy creating artificial dramas, all at the expense of the company's employees and public transportation passengers.
"We regret that the organization chose the path of strike and harm to the company's employees and public transportation passengers. Superbus will continue to act responsibly and decisively for the safety of its employees and the improvement of their conditions, and will not allow the political interests of one organization or another to dictate the agenda at the expense of both employees and passengers."