The workers committee at ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM) has called a strike at the company’s headquarters in Israel in the wake of the reports of the sale of the company to shipping line Hapag-Lloyd and private equity firm FIMI.
Workers committee chairperson Oren Caspi told "Globes": "After ignoring and evading us for two weeks, a representative of the board of directors and the board’s legal counsel held a meeting with us today. We came there and heard about the sale of the company, and warned against closing deals without the workers committee. They told us that there was a commitment to employ the workers for a year, and that after that we would see but that they weren’t prepared to make a further commitment. We felt that they were making fun of us. The meeting broke up, and we announced a warning strike."
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The strike comes after the workers committee had already declared a dispute.
The company itself said in a statement: "Following the media reports of its sale, the workers committee decided to declare a strike at the company’s headquarters in Israel. The management is in talks with the workers committee in Israel to avoid a negative impact on the day-to-day activity of the company." It also stated that "the company’s management understands the feelings of the employees, and has their welfare in view." ZIM’s CEO is Eli Glickman, whose proposals for buying the company in the past few months have not been accepted by the board.
The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) stated today: "The Histadrut fully backs the workers committee and the workforce at ZIM, dedicated workers who have provided vital services for decades and who work 24/7 for the benefit of the Israeli economy.
"ZIM is not just another company in Israel. It is a strategic asset of the State of Israel, representing a critical link in national security, in the stability of supply and in the ability to maintain trade by sea even in emergencies. Any harm to the stability of the company or to its employees means harm to the national interest of the State of Israel.
"The Histadrut demands a promise that jobs in Israel will be preserved, and declares that there is not and will not be any acceptance of moves that undermine the workers’ job security."
The ZIM board said that the company was in constant dialogue with the workers’ representatives and that it believed that the sides would eventually reach agreement.
ZIM employs about nearly 1,000 people in Israel.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 15, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.
