Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this afternoon  summoned Histadrut labor federation Chairman Ofer Eini to his Jerusalem office.  The two men agreed to lift the threat of a general strike.  The Prime Minister emphasized that the genuine plight of the workers is the main reason why he chose to become personally involved in the crisis.  In the letter that the Prime Minister sent in response to Eini's appeal, the former wrote – inter alia – that: "Withholding employees' salaries is an unacceptable norm that must be condemned while taking steps against those employers who do not pay their workers on time."  Prime Minister Olmert also wrote that he intends to raise the issue at the next Cabinet meeting.

See http://tinyurl.com/2oym2l for the full text of Prime Minister Olmert's letter.