After a night of extending deadlines and intensive negotiations, the Histadrut Labor Federation and Treasury were on the verge of signing an agreement to end a general strike in its second day, Israel Radio reported Thursday.
According to preliminary reports, the Histadrut's agreement includes two parts: a deal reached with private employers Tuesday and a deal with the government.
The Finance Ministry reportedly agreed to absorb a small number of contract workers as full time employees and increase salaries and benefits for cleaning workers and social workers.
The agreement with private employers, settled with the Federation of Israeli Economic Organizations, includes a partial transfer of cleaning workers to direct employment, transfer of contract workers whose jobs mirror directly employed workers into direct employment and giving full worker's rights to those who remain as contract workers.

Strike continues

The President of the National Labor Court, Judge Nili Arad, ruled early Thursday morning that the strike could continue during the day, but that there was to be no further strike action at Ben Gurion Airport.
Arad's decision came after the Treasury and the Histadrut reported to her earlier Thursday morning that they intended to continue their intensive dialog, and would file another update with the court at 8 a.m.
Representatives of the Treasury and the Histadrut engaged in negotiations throughout Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Arad also ordered the parties to continue to negotiate throughout Thursday. The National Labor Court President said that representatives of the state, the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce and the Histadruit to report to her chambers in the National Labor Court at 2 p.m. if they are unable to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
The court will convene a further hearing at 4 p.m. Thursday, and Arad ordered the parties to submit written arguments by that time.
"The court urges the parties once again to do everything necessary to reach an agreement and end the conflict in a peaceable manner," Arad said.
The Treasury and the Histadrut Labor Federation extended the deadline for the conclusion of negotiations four times throughout the night Wednesday.
The open-ended general strike began on Wednesday at 6 a.m., after all-night negotiations between Eini and Steinitz ended without an agreement on the employment status of contract workers, who do not receive tenure or benefits.
Wednesday was a normal work day for contract workers, who are not part of the Histadrut.

Joanna Paraszczuk and Nadav Shemer and Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.