After a year’s struggle, workers at Bialik House who organized with WAC-Maan have been recognized by Tel Aviv Municipality as waged employees in every way.
On Sunday, 3 Nov. 2013, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in Jerusalem will directly employ 13 workers who had been employed for years via a manpower company.
Following a precedential verdict issued by the National Labor Court of Israel on 3/17/2013 preceded by a four years legal and organizational struggle, and after having insisted on fighting for direct employment, excavation workers, united by the Workers Advice Center (WAC-MAAN), got directly employed at the Israeli Antiquity Authority.
The last few days have seen a successful end to a long legal battle over demands to instate excavation workers as regular employees of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). About three years ago, dozens working for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) at the archaeological site of Ras al-Amud near Jerusalem were summoned by a representative of Brik, the personnel firm through which they were employed. He told them that all who had worked for more than nine months would not be hired in the future. Four days later, workers at the Um Tuba site, all Brik employees, were told the same thing. None received a letter of dismissal.
It’s not nice to spoil the party which so many prominent names have joined. However, Ofer Eini’s call to struggle against the exploitative system of employment via manpower agencies lacks all credibility. If the Histadrut chairperson has looked back on his career so far and come to recognize the evils of this employment framework, he must admit his responsibility for creating it and go home.
[:en] First published: Yedioth Aharonot, “24 hours” supplement (Hebrew), 2
[:en] Organized by WAC, excavators from all over the country
[:en]by Hen Shemesh Receurrent complaints on illegal sanctions against employees
