The Open University... is closed for now | Israel | Jerusalem Post

The Open University... is closed for now | Israel | Jerusalem Post: "he Open University in Ra'anana - the country's largest university in terms of enrollment - was indefinitely closed on Sunday, after the academic staff went on strike following a four month long labor dispute over working conditions.

This is the first time an institution-wide strike has been held at the university, in which some 40,000 students are enrolled.

The dispute is centered around continued attempts to gain improved working conditions for the university's junior faculty members, whose demands are based on a collective agreement similar to those which their counterparts at other universities and colleges have acquired.

The strike, which is being undertaken by the entire academic staff, is aimed at changing employment patterns that may be harmful to workers into a foundation for fair labor conditions through a collective agreement, as was done six months ago at all the other universities in Israel, except for the Technion Institute in Haifa, according to Yaniv Bar-Ilan of the Koach Le'Ovdim (power to the workers) association, who organized the strike."