workers' struggles

Solidarity Campaign with Workers of the Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem

The legal battle continues

Brick workers in front of the Jerusalem labour court

WAC has launched a solidarity campaign with 21 workers of the Antiquities Authority. The workers are residents of East Jerusalem, fired at the beginning of January 2009. The Authority and Brick, manpower company through which they were hired, have violated the stipulations of the law requiring that they be hired directly through the Antiquities Authority.

United under the auspices of WAC, the workers applied to the Jerusalem labour court to repeal their dismissal and apply the Amendment to the Law on Manpower Companies (2000), stipulating that manpower workers be transferred automatically to their employer in effect (the Antiquities Authority in this case) after a period of nine months.
Following this action the claimants have encountered vindictive measures. In February both Brick and the Authority claimed in court that the workers will not be fired, yet they are not placed to work at all and have not even received dismissal letters; thus they are unable to make a living. The layoff procedure was made by oral rather than written notification; nonetheless Brick denies that in court and on the other hand does not reinstate most of them to work.

On a court session on February 8, Brick attorneys notified that the claimants have not been fired and will continue their regular work. However, up until now almost all of them have not been reinstituted. More than half were asked to work only a few days during the last three months, whereas the rest not even a single work day throughout March. This has brought some of them to the verge of hunger.

The Brik Case concerns many other workers: success in this case would be a precedent enabling hundreds of thousands workers, Jews, Arabs, men and women alike, to stand up for their rights and disengage permanently from the bondage to manpower companies.

Plan for Action
1.Collecting donations and food supplies to be delivered to the workers.

2.Solidarity protest before the headquarters of the Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem.

3.Gala evening at the Lavontin Club in Tel Aviv on Friday the 24th of April.

Today, each and every one of us may face unemployment, hence it is our duty to stand by the workers and support the campaign. To join us in the struggle please contact our offices as follows:

Tel Aviv: 03-5373271

Jerusalem: 02-6280173, Erez Wagner (local coordinator),
Mobile: 054-6343961,
E-mail:

Website: www.wac-maan.org.il