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The agreement, which was signed between the Histadrut and the heads of the Local Authorities, significantly improves the employment conditions of many workers who are currently in need of an income supplement - despite their vital role in the continuous operation of the economy *** Among the articles of the agreement: percentage and shekel wage increments, management increments and special increments for employees who have accumulated expertise in certain areas *** The Histadrut Chairman, Avi Nissenkoren: "This is an important agreement that corrects historical wage distortions, reduces gaps and puts the low-level workers in the center." *** Chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities and Mayor of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Haim Bibas: "The Federation of Local Authorities will continue to operate in the future for the benefit of the workers' population in Israel."

A new collective agreement, which was signed on 3.8.17 between Histadrut Chairman Avi Nissenkorn, Head of the Employment Agreements and Wages Division in the Federation of Local Authorities Hagit Magen and representatives of the three major cities and the Regional Councils, completes the revolution of the employment conditions of practical engineers, technicians and engineers, as well as lab technicians in the educational system who are employed by the Local Authorities.

The agreement applies to more than 2,000 workers, who are employed in a wide variety of positions in the water and infrastructure systems, quality of the environment, logistics, traffic light control, information systems and more. The wage increments will be paid throughout the agreement period until the middle of 2019, and some of them have already been paid in practice.

Chairman of Union of Practical Engineers Danny Horenstein, Chairman of the Union of Engineers Ehud Nof, Chairman of the Business Sector Division of the Union of Practical Engineers Shlomo Perlove, Deputy Director of Wages in the Ministry of Finance Diya Asadi, Head of the Employment Agreements and Wages Division in the Federation of Local Authorities Hagit Magen, Deputy Director-General of Human Resources and Administration in the Tel Aviv Municipality who represents the three major cities Avi Peretz and the Head of the Human Resources Division in the Tel Aviv Municipality Avi Zohar, participated in the negotiations on the agreement.

The Actuary and the Economic Advisor to the Union of Practical Engineers and the Union of Engineers Avi Ayash, the Acting Chairman of the Union of Engineers Meir Malka, and the Legal Advisor to the Union of Engineers Na'ama Levi, Attorney, also took part in the negotiations.

In the agreement it was determined, inter alia, that the workers will receive percentage wage increments that will range between 3.5% and approximately 15% throughout the years of the agreement, as well as shekel increments at the height of hundreds of shekels. These increments ensure that the workers will leave the circle of workers in need of income supplement for the first time and from now on they will be able to earn a decent living in the wage conditions that they deserve. As part of this, it was arranged that the workers' wage that is calculated for pension allocations will also increase.

In addition, it was set that workers who started their employment after March 1999 will receive a special management increment that will range between 7.5% and 12.5% of their salary, in accordance with the level of management, the size of the Authority and their rank.

Furthermore, for the first time, financial expression will be given to the abilities and areas of expertise that the workers have accumulated and that require education and appropriate licensing certificates for both the rankings of practical engineers and rankings of engineers in the fields of electrical engineering, environmental engineering, landscape engineering and supervisors of safety. These increments will be at a height of 10% of the salary.

The Histadrut Chairman, Avi Nissenkoren, said with the signing of the agreement: "I congratulate all the parties on the undertaking to sign this important agreement, which corrects historical wage distortions and provides an economic horizon for the workers' populations included in it. The agreement reduces gaps and puts the low-level workers, who play the most vital roles in the Local Authorities and in practice in the ongoing functioning of the entire Israeli economy, in the center."

Chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities and Mayor of Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut, Haim Bibas, noted: "The agreement that was signed today is beneficial to the engineers' and practical engineers' populations, provides professional increments and fixes wage distortions in these rankings. The Federation of Local Authorities will continue to operate in the future for the benefit of the workers' population in Israel."

Head of the Employment Agreements and Wages Division in the Federation of Local Authorities, Hagit Magen: "The agreement is beneficial to an important and quiet workers' population that is meticulous in carrying out its work faithfully and will now receive the appreciation it deserves, while opening a window for future continuing agreements."

Chairman of Union of Practical Engineers, Danny Horenstein: "The agreement that we reached is a breakthrough and real good news in terms of removing workers from the circle of income supplement, and also in light of the fact that workers, who will study and will attend vocational training for study payments, will receive full payment with the current agreement. The workers in the field are satisfied and that is the most important thing for us."

Chairman of the Union of Engineers, Ehud Nof: "I welcome the agreement that corrects distortions and promotes the workers' population immediately and in the future. There is more work ahead of us, but the direction is certainly worthy and good and the heart can be filled with pride over the agreements that we have reached."