Daniel Levy, chief of the Israel Police, called the case “one of the most serious we have investigated”.
"There is a connection between businesspeople and senior figures in the economy, including labour unions, for both electoral and promotional purposes. We will act decisively and without fear of investigating senior figures in order to get to the truth,” he added.
It is understood that investigators are looking into allegations that Histadrut officials helped associates of a businessman to obtain jobs in local authorities and corporations in return for financial compensation.
The Kan public broadcaster is also reporting that the union’s chair, Arnon Bar-David, and his partner are among the officials arrested, but the police have not identified any of the suspects as yet.
A Histadrut spokesperson said: “We are confident in the innocence of our people and are cooperating with enforcement authorities.
"The Histadrut’s public activities continue to operate as usual, including all of the organisation’s services throughout the country.
"We cannot comment further on ongoing proceedings.”
