Court: Versano Company Thwarted Workers’ Unionization

How the Dispute Arose

Employees at the factory that manufactures lenses and optical products began joining the Histadrut in January 2026. On January 18, the organization notified the company of its representative status and attached the employees’ membership forms. Versano refused to recognize it, arguing, among other things, that some of those who joined were not its employees, some employees had canceled their membership, and others did not understand the significance of their signatures.

Why the Court Recognized the Histadrut

Judge Miron Schwartz ruled that, on the date representative status was declared, the company employed 64 people, 37 of whom were Histadrut members. This was significantly more than the required one-third. Even under the company’s calculations—75 employees in the bargaining unit and 41 Histadrut members—the required threshold was crossed.

Management Intervention

The court concluded that the managers had actively attempted to thwart the unionization: they restricted communication among employees, held individual conversations, conveyed messages that the court regarded as threats, collected confirmations of membership cancellations, and compiled lists of them. Testimony from the company’s own witnesses also confirmed that the managers checked whether employees had canceled their membership and that the Human Resources Department maintained a centralized record of those cancellations. The company is responsible for the actions of its managers, even if the owner and the director did not personally deal with unionization matters.

The Judgment and Its Implications

The court did not take into account membership cancellations made after representative status was declared: under such circumstances, there is a presumption that they resulted from unlawful pressure by the employer, unless proven otherwise. The Histadrut was recognized as the representative organization effective January 18, 2026. Versano must recognize this status, conduct collective bargaining in good faith, refrain from interfering with the unionization, refrain from harming employees and members of the organizing committee because of their organizational activity, and pay 120,000 shekels.

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