26.02.09

Farmers insist on more Migrant Workers, blocking Government Plan to employ Israelis in Agriculture

Given a dramatic increase in unemployment, despite government decisions to curtail the number of migrant workers and promote employment of Israelis, WAC-MA'AN (the Workers Advice Center) met with Bank of Israel representatives on February 18. The latter included Ms. Moran Dahan, Assistant to the Bank's Governor, and Ms. Nitza Kasir of the Research Department. From WAC came Assaf Adiv, National Coordinator, and Erez Wagner, Coordinator of the Jerusalem branch.

The main issue on the agenda was a pilot program to promote employment of local workers in agriculture, and Arab women in particular. This program was planned by the Bank of Israel along with the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture. Budgeted with NIS 5 million, it was scheduled to start at the beginning of 2008. A key provision to this program is that the State of Israel subsidize every new worker with NIS 7500, while providing a similar amount to the employer.

According to a report submitted at the meeting, farmers are reluctant to cooperate. This is indicated by the low number of registrants, 12 in all, whereas at least 150 are required for the implementation of the program. Thus a major precondition for the program—farmers' willingness to hire local workers—has not been met.

According to WAC estimates, the chances of convincing Israeli farmers to hire local workers will remain near zero as long as the government does not make a drastic cut in the number of migrant workers, demonstrating thereby that its policy has changed. According to Adiv, such a policy change would create thousands of new jobs for unemployed Arabs. At the meeting he presented WAC's mode of operation, detailing a plan for recruiting hundreds of Arab farm workers immediately, on condition that they receive all their rights and benefits to which they are entitled by law. Farmers prefer migrant workers, he claimed, because they are cheaper to employ and readily available.

In this way, a program scheduled to begin a year ago has remained in the doldrums. The creation of new jobs will be a major issue for any government established in Israel. With that in view, WAC demands a drastic reform in policy. The importation of migrant workers must stop without further ado. It is detrimental both to those migrants who are already here and to Israeli workers. Without this change, any program to cure unemployment will get nowhere. Job opportunities cannot develop as long as the Israeli labour market remains a jungle, in which manpower agencies and personnel contractors are allowed to import with no limitations. WAC demands unequivocal action to put local workers back to work in construction and agriculture.