workers' struggles

Stop Abusive Employment Practices by Brick and the Israel Antiquities Authority

WAC demands the immediate implementation of the Amendment to the Law on Manpower Employees

Numerous employees of Brick Ltd., manpower contractor for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), have been illegally laid off recently in an attempt to circumvent their absorption as fully fledged employees after a 9-month term of work, in accordance with the Amendment to the Law on Manpower Employees. Many have found resort in WAC, an independent labor union. Their testimonies reveal abusive employment practices; the arbitrary layoff following which new employees were recruited, was the last straw.

21 East Jerusalemites, excavators at the IAA, were the first to herald the struggle. In January 2009 they turned to WAC after having received an oral dismissal notice, saying that every worker with a term of over 9 months will be laid off. WAC's attorneys, Adv. Bassam Kharkabi and Eran Golan, filed a petition to the Jerusalem Labour Court, demanding that the claimants be reinstated and acknowledged as IAA employees.

Their lawsuit is based on the Amendment to the Law on Manpower Employees A12, in force as of January 1 2008. The Amendment stipulates that every employer must hire manpower employees directly after a 9-month term of work.

Brick's abusive practices were unveiled in court sessions: employment with no provision of social benefits. Brick's manager admitted in his testimony that the company deducts NIS 20 from the workers' salaries as membership fees to the Histadrut. However, the funds were never transferred to their intended beneficiary.

According to testimonies by Jewish and Arab workers from other parts of the country, similar exploitation patterns and recurrent dismissals are a commonplace. One of them noted that he was fired and reinstated five times. In September 2008 he was one of many fired in the pretext of lack of work, whereas after only a few days new workers were hired. After a few months he was reinstated again.

Dozens of employees decided to join WAC's demand for fair employment. Together we call the IAA to respect the stipulations set by law and hire manpower employees directly. As a public, state-funded authority it has a cultural and scientific mission. The obligation to ensure that its employees receive all their legal rights, lies with the IAA.

For further info contact Danny Ben Simhon, WAC coordinator on IAA-related matters: 050-4330039