Israeli airports, railroads, government offices, banks and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange were shut down for a second day Thursday after an all-night meeting failed to settle striking workers' grievances.
Hundreds of stranded passengers waited in the terminal at Ben Gurion International Airport. The national airline El Al put up thousands of travelers in hotels and said it was losing millions of shekels."The condition of the Israeli economy is raising concern today," said President Ezer Weizman. "The strikes hurt the daily lives of the citizens badly and damage public order. We would hope that all is being done to solve the problems."
The airport allowed four planes carrying agricultural exports to take off.
The strikers ignored a national labor court injunction ordering some of them back to work.
Up to 700,000 workers were idled by the walkout, which also paralyzed the national telephone and electric companies and other state-run companies. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, trash piled up on the streets because garbage workers were on strike.
There were scattered water shortages throughout the country because of the strike, which was called by the Histadrut trade union federation in a dispute with the government over pensions, wage agreements and government plans for privatization.
The strike was called to protest the government's economic policies and Finance Minister Yaakov Neeman's criticism of labor unrest.
Amir Peretz, head of the national Histadrut Trade Union, wants written assurances from Neeman guaranteeing pension funds.
"The situation is quite complicated," Peretz said after an all-night meeting with Neeman. "Everyone needs to rethink, and we are to meet again. I hope a breakthrough will be found."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting with Peretz and Neeman before his afternoon departure to Europe.