Kav LaOved helped hundreds of workers during deadly Operation Protective Edge

Kav LaOved handled dozens of inquiries by workers in the south of Israel during the combat through email, the hotline, office hours, and social media. During deadly Operation Protective Edge, Kav LaOved, representing a number of organizations, continually updated information and questions and answers through the social media that Kav LaOved manages in various languages regarding the rights of workers in the combat zones.

protest Israel's attack on Gaza, despite a police decision to revoke the demonstration's permit, Rabin Square, Tel Aviv, July 9, 2014 (Photo: Activestills)

protest Israel’s attack on Gaza, despite a police decision to revoke the demonstration’s permit, Rabin Square, Tel Aviv, July 9, 2014 (Photo: Activestills)

Kav LaOved advised the Ministry of Economy to pay attention to the situation of monthly wage workers who would certainly be adversely affected during the first weeks of combat. We pointed out that vulnerable workers must be also included in the compensation arrangements.

After the publication of the compensation arrangements, representing the Forum for Enforcement of Workers Rights, Kav LaOved turned to the Ministry of the Economy in an urgent call to consider the difficult situation of the day, hourly, and shift workers in the combat area that were not included in the framework.

Weeks before the fighting began, very serious manifestations of hate and racism in Israeli society surfaced in the labor market as persecution based on origin, nationality, and religion. The media reported how Arab Israeli workers and Arab workers from the West Bank were being attacked because of their origin, sometimes by angry crowds calling to drive them out of their places of work. In response, the Executive Director of Kav LaOved published a short opinion column on the subject with the title “For Fairness and Equality,” which was published on the Kav LaOved website, in the social media, and in the newsletter.

As the operation progressed dozens of inquiries from Arab workers began to flow into Kav LaOved, reporting that they had been discharged from their place of work based on discriminatory practices.  In response, Kav LaOved, together with Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and Mossawa, published information in Arabic regarding freedom of expression and the rights of discharged workers. The information was uploaded to the organizations’ websites and Facebook pages and was shared multiple times. In addition, the information was published in the Arabic language media and news sites.

At the same time Kav LaOved, in cooperation with other human rights organizations including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Sikkuy-The Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality in Israel, and  Itach Maaki-Women Lawyers for Social Justice, turned to the Ministry of Economy and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission demanding immediate action against the wave of firing of Arab workers in the Israeli labor market and to take all necessary measures to protect Arab workers from dismissal  and harassment by employers for expressing their political views.

Kav LaOved received many inquiries from Arab workers that were fired, laid-off, or called to a hearing by their employers because of their expressions on Facebook. The workers were provided with consultations and legal advocacy by the lawyers at Kav LaOved representing workers who are suing their employers in the labor courts.