Off the rails
I have never had a problem with protests. Just the opposite; I am all for protesting injustice, inequality, inflated prices or any other civil wrongs, which are certainly not lacking in our country. I support protests as long as they are carried out with proper respect and intelligence, and don't harm innocent people. None of these qualities are true, however, for the railway workers' protest, which reached a new level of violent aggression last Thursday. Yes you, dear rail workers, led by Israel Railway Workers' Union Chairwoman Gila Ederi.
Dearest Gila, there are legitimate methods for protest -- for example, demonstrating, writing an article in the newspaper, television interviews or train stoppages following warning announcements of the impending service changes. But, darling, to stop the train on a hot day, evacuate passengers in the middle of the tracks, shut off air conditioners and lock cabins in which people are tightly packed, including pregnant women and children, is not only a stupid move, it is also violent, dangerous, unsafe and irresponsible.
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I have no idea what provocateur initiated such unrealistic protest ideas, but I have no doubt that the railway workers' committee seriously damaged the public because of their actions. And what are you actually protesting-
Is the problem the desire to privatize the railway? Even this understanding of the potential changes is incorrect, because overall, we are only talking about the right to have new cabins with an attached maintenance staff from the manufacturers instead of railway union workers. That's it. This is not exactly privatization. Moreover, privatization might not be such a bad thing, considering that our national railway hardly functions, is always late, provides horrible service, charges high prices and the workers behave like violent bullies. Maybe you don't even deserve to serve us, the public, at all.
In the meantime, we feel as if we are serving you. That is the bitter truth. The public is sick of belligerent workers' committees that simply silence everybody they control. I deeply believe in fair workers' rights, but what is fair about the salaries of electric company, sanitation and port workers, which are exaggerated and baseless salaries for mediocre, or even less than mediocre, services?
Thus, Ms. Ederi, do not dare connect your violent rail workers' protest to the social struggles washing over the country during the past few months. You left that circle the moment you behaved violently. That's it, here is where it all ends: it seems that the train has gone off its tracks.
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