Israel's powerful Histadrut labour union launched a general strike this morning, stopping international flights and shutting public services after talks with the government broke down.
The Histadrut said the strike was affecting vital services such as buses, firefighting, railways, government offices and Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion international airport, effectively halting incoming and outgoing international flights.
"We have received reports from the field that the workers have begun to respond to the strike. In the event of developments in the labor court, we will receive the appropriate instructions," Jihad Akel, a Histadrut official, told Israel Radio.
The union charges that thousands of municipal workers it represents have not been paid for months. The government says local authorities are to blame for not adhering to efficiency programs agreed to in 2004 so they could pay the salaries.
The union had planned to start the strike this morning but delayed it to allow more time for negotiations with the government. The two sides had talked through the night.
An adviser to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched the negotiations with Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini last night in a bid to avert the strike. Mr Olmert intervened to avert a threatened strike a month ago.
