Following the four-hour national general strike that shut the country down on Sunday morning 29 Kislev, employees of Teva Pharmaceuticals announced they will be striking on Monday, 30 Kislev for a second day.

The strike is prompted by the Teva announcement it must undertake an austerity plan, which includes cutting one quarter of its workforce. The cut includes over 3,000 jobs in Israel and a total of 14,000 workers worldwide.

Economists explain the dismissal of over 3,000 workers in Israel will have a profound negative impact on the economy since layoffs of this magnitude will impact service companies and others well, with some experts predicting the impact will be felt in 10,000 homes.

On Sunday, striking workers took to the streets, burning tires and blocking roads, demanding government intervention to save their jobs.

From the Har Chotzvim area, strikers boarded buses and headed to the Finance Ministry where they protested outside.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)