Israeli startups to stage one-hour work stoppage to protest judicial reform
Redis, Natural Intelligence, HoneyBook and Forter are among the companies that have announced they will join a warning strike on Tuesday in protest of the legal reform
More than ten high-tech companies including Lemonade, Wiz, Redis, HoneyBook and Forter have announced their intention to hold a warning strike this Tuesday in protest of the impending legal reform. The one-hour work stoppage will take place at 11:00 am at the Sharona complex in Tel Aviv.
This strike comes on the back of Saturday's protests across the country in which approximately 130,000 demonstrators participated. Natural Intelligence, Hello Heart, Active Implants, AlgoSec, Piggy, Cheetah Technologies and Track160 are also expected to take part in the protest.
In a letter published by the protest leaders addressing their employees, they wrote: "We assume that you are aware of the public discourse about the legal reform and the protest it has provoked.
"We have employees with diverse opinions and we always include and respect every person regardless of who they are. This coming Tuesday at 11:00 there will be a one-hour strike at the Sharona complex, that will also be joined by high-tech employees. We as a company will allow employees who want to take part to demonstrate - each and every one according to their conscience and opinion."
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- Erez Balasha: "It is clear that the essence of the legal reform is to give more power to politicians and interest group"
- Yodfat Harel Buchris: "The legal reform and the 61-MK override proposal mean Israel will no longer meet ESG rules"
Last week, high-tech industry executives called on employees to join the demonstration that took place on Saturday at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv. "The Israeli high-tech industry is taking off its gloves and joining the fight for the face of the State of Israel," read the call, which was signed by Shlomo Kramer, Yodfat Harel Buchris and Sivan Shmari Dahan, among others.
NICE CEO Barak Eilam also voiced his concerns regarding the reforms in a letter sent to employees on Monday. "VC investors don't rush to take risk in business environments that differ from the norm in advanced and modern countries where there is a liberal democracy with a clear separation of powers," Eilam wrote. "Over recent weeks we have witnessed several moves that should they reach the finish line would be disastrous to the existence of the competitive and blossoming high-tech industry that we have built together. This process would be irreversible and it will be very difficult to fix the way Israel is perceived across the world.
"I'm often asked what we should do. My answer is simple - make your voice heard, convince on social media and in-person, and explain that democracy is not a 'NICE To Have'."
