workers' struggles

Jewish and Arab Excavation Workers Protest Against Illegal Layoff

Protest vigil on Tuesday June 16 at 13:30, 36 Yefet St', (the French hospital) Jaffa, by an excavation site of the Authority

Many excavators at excavation sites of the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) have been laid off recently by Brick, a manpower contractor, in an attempt to circumvent from implementing the Amendment to the Law on Manpower Contractors A12 (2001).

Dozens of excavators will hold a protest vigil on Tuesday June 16th, demanding that they be reinstated and acknowledged as fully-fledged employees of the IAA. The workers, Jews and Arabs from all over the country, were hired for years at excavation sites of the IAA via Brick. After the Amendment to the Law on Manpower Contractors has taken effect on January 1 2008, the IAA was obliged to absorb every employee with a nine-month term or higher.

Instead of implementing the law, Brick has dismissed the workers illegally and arbitrarily, while recruiting new ones. The latter are expected to share the same fate and be fired after 9 months. According to testimonies collected by WAC, which represents all these workers, abusive employment practices and recurrent layoffs are a commonplace.

Dozens of excavators have overcome the hurdle of fear and joined WAC's demand that the IAA observe the law and hire them directly. With a scientific mission, the IAA is supported by government allocations; as such the obligation to ensure that its workers' rights are respected, lies the IAA.

For further info contact Danny Ben Simhon at 050-4330039, or Nir Nader at 050-6839443.