The Israel Aerospace Industries (TAA) workers’ union has demanded a one-time bonus of 150,000 shekels be paid to each of the approximately 4,500 employees of the Elta subsidiary in Ashdod amid a pending deal to move the defense plant to a new site in the city’s southeastern industrial zone, Kalkalist writes.
Thus, in total, the TAA union requested a total payment of approximately 675 million shekels, that is, about 15% of the amount that the Israel Land Administration allocates for the transfer.
The reasons for this requirement are: the move will lengthen the commute to work for many employees; before the move, conditions at the current plant will deteriorate – they will no longer invest in infrastructure, although there are problems with overcrowding and parking; employees will have to go through a long adaptation period in a new place.
Elta management warns that such significant demands from the union could slow down the launch of an already complex plant relocation program.
Last week it was reported that the land administration agreed with the Ministry of Finance and the Aviation Industry concern on the format for moving the Elta plant in Ashdod in order to free up land for development. As part of the agreement reached, the Elta plant, located in the north-eastern part of the city and blocking the development of the only large free area within the city, known as the Agricultural Triangle, will be moved to a new industrial zone under construction in the south-east of the city, near the railway station, next to the Dune nature reserve, in which housing construction is not envisaged. This relocation will not only make construction possible on the site of the plant and in the agricultural triangle, but will also facilitate renovation projects in neighborhoods adjacent to the plant, which currently have building height restrictions.
The plant relocation and soil cleanup work, estimated at NIS 4 billion, will be fully paid for by the Land Office and must be completed within four years.
According to management estimates, this will allow the construction of 90-100 thousand new housing units in Ashdod.
The Elta plant is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry, specializing in the development and production of radar systems. It was there that the radar for the Hetz and Iron Dome missile defense systems was developed.