Workers and Social Activists beaten by Weizmann Institute security while protesting employment conditions in the Museum of Science

The Marker 18.11.2008 (Ido Solomon)

Workers and Social Activists beaten by Weizmann Institute security while protesting employment conditions in the Museum of Science

Five workers and social activists, who tried to protest against their employment reality in the Weizmann Inst. Garden of Science Museum, were beaten up by security officers sent by management.

Last Sunday [16.11] the workers arrived at Institute campus, ready with signs to be lifted during the honor student fellowship awards ceremony, attended by the Weizmann Inst. leaders as well as the heads of the Davidson Association running the museum. All this as part of their struggle against management for its refusal to recognize their union, and to sit and negotiate employment terms.

In response, security was sent to stop the workers, and beat them brutally. One activist, Joni Wajnryb , is now hospitalized at ‛Hadassah Ein-Karem` awaiting a surgery on his knee for two fractures caused by the incident. Immediately after the event workers and activists were arrested by the police, and detained for 3 hours.

The Weizmann Inst. says in reply: “two workers have broken into campus on Sunday together with political activists, in order to sabotage the event. The burglars, who had been crawling under the fences, were captured by security, which used minimal force to detain them. There is no truth to the claim that they were apprehended on their way to work, for they had been asked explicitly not to arrive at the Garden of Science. The political activists entered the Institute with the clear intention of sabotage.”

The workers, on the other hand, argue that they entered campus by more conventional means, and that they did not intend anything except raising their signs. Official labor dispute between Museum workers and the Davidson management has been declared already two months ago. Workers’ claims include cutting back staff, upping groups of visitors from 25 to 40, failure to reimburse for hours worked, lack of transparency in salary calculation, late pay etc..

In early July 27 out of 40 workers at the Museum united through “Power to the Workers”, in order to make management hear their claims. Among those unionized one finds those who only recently have rejoined civil life, students who are hired as tour guides, and workers at the Museum workshop.

Since the labor dispute was declared, management has met with the workers a number of times, and even made some suggestions on how to resolve it. Nevertheless, they remain adamant in refusal of the right of the workers to unionize, and suggested to sit with each worker dividedly.

The workers also claim that in the last three months management has become less benign, withholding shifts and trying to bring in un-unionized workers to replace them. At a number of occasions the workers held protest rallies outside the Museum gates, and even stopped work for an hour one time.

But when five of them tried to enter campus, they were detained by security.
“They must want physically to break the workers’ union”, says Nadav Aharoni, a guide. “We came to our place of work. Security shouted at us to stop, but we kept on none the less. They jumped at us, threw us to the floor. One security office stepped on me, and then sat on me, yelling all the time that he was not touching me at all. All we wanted to do was to protest in our workplace against the stealing of our livelihood. They prevent us from working, condition our return to work by giving up the union, and when we come in legitimate labor protest they beat us mercilessly.”

Institute management adds: “There is no truth in claims concerning the withholding of shifts. Davidson management has met with the workers and heard their claims. It held an inquiry, and found that some of these claims was indeed true and just. These wrongs are currently being righted. These facts have been made clear to the workers. The door of management is always open to the workers, but it is they who refuse to meet with unimportant procedural claims. The Institute wished to solve the problems of the guides fairly and reasonably. Yet it will not allow the routine of scientific research and other Institute activities to be broken.