Palestinian employees get better wages and working conditions
On March 15th, MAAN – Workers Association signed a second collective agreement for four years ahead with the Zarfaty Garage in settler industrial zone Mishor Adumim. The first agreement at the Zarfaty Garage, signed in 2017, was the first signed in a place that employs a majority of Palestinian workers on the floor shop.
The new agreement includes an updated salary table reflecting the price index increase, as well as employees’ professional advancement. Additionally, disputes regarding the employment starting dates of several senior employees were resolved as part of the negotiations, and issues such as transparency, improving the handling of occupational accidents and safety, and compensation for employees who did not receive various payments were settled.
The Zarfaty Garage employs some 75 workers, including about 60 Palestinians from the PA as well as 15 Israeli and Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. It is a large garage, with departments for different types of trucks, a department for private vehicles as well as for military vehicles. The Zarfaty Garage is one of the oldest and largest employers in the Mishor Adumim industrial zone east of Jerusalem and the first, as noted, to regulate its working conditions in a collective agreement from 2017.
The new agreement shows that even in today’s difficult conditions, responsible and wise leadership on both sides can reach agreements that serve the good of the employees and the company while addressing new relevant problems.
The agreement was signed by MAAN Executive Director Assaf Adiv, workers’ committee representative Hatem Abu Ziadeh, and the Zarfaty Garage Director Morris Zarfaty.
