Bnei Brak Orders Kindergartens to Open on Time as Teachers Plan Delayed Start
Bnei Brak's kindergarten dispute heated up on Sunday. The city sent parents a voice message telling them kindergartens will open at the usual time Monday morning, even though the workers' committee had announced a delayed start.
The workers' committee announced a partial strike on Friday, under which municipal kindergartens would open at 9:30 a.m. instead of the regular time. Teachers say the move is a protest over cuts to the pay and working conditions of kindergarten teachers and assistants, including salary cuts and the issue of meal funding.
The municipality said it understands the toll a delay would take on children and parents, on the Torah study of avreichim in kollel, and on parents' work hours and income. City officials said they are working to keep kindergartens running normally. They asked parents who find a kindergarten closed to report it to the municipal hotline at 106.
City manager Yisrael Einstein also sent parents a letter. He said he understood their frustration and stressed that children's education is a top priority for the city. While praising the kindergarten teachers and assistants, Einstein said the city will tighten attendance monitoring, enforce work hours and cut down on non-essential absences. He also pointed to a shortage of kindergarten assistants, which he said is being felt across the country and in Bnei Brak as well, and urged residents to recommend suitable candidates.
The teachers see it differently. Speaking to Kikar HaShabbat, they described the delay as a way of making a point. "In light of the damage to the salaries of kindergarten teachers and teaching assistants, we want to show them they can't play with us," they said. "So on Monday we'll start at nine-thirty. The teachers arrive as usual and finish as usual. Only the parents bring the children at nine-thirty."
