Robbery in broad daylight - a new report reveals the damage caused by the deposit law to the asylum seekers' community

"Theft in Broad Daylight, The Deposit Law: Implementation and Impact" is the name of the report we published in partnership with the “Hotline for Refugees and Migrants”, which reviews the Deposit Law that deducts 20% of the salaries of most asylum seekers, leaving half of them with salaries below minimum wage. The report reveals that many employers deduct funds from employees' salaries but do not deposit them in the specified account.

An article about the report in ‘Calcalist’ entitled "Failure of the asylum seekers law" published prior to the hearing, estimated that 700 million NIS of the workers' money, mysteriously evaporated. The relevant government bodies, as the report clearly states, do not enforce the law. And what did the judges of High Court of Justice have to say? That the state prefers to abuse workers rather than adopt any other alternative.

May In the construction sector - 7 construction workers were killed, most of the agreements with the Histadrut have not been implemented.

May was a deadly month in the construction industry - seven construction workers were killed.  21 construction workers in 2019 thus far. All this while the  upcoming elections do not hold a promise of improvement,  rather a continued stagnation. New policies aimed at improved protection for construction workers, will not be promoted. An article published this month in Ha’aretz, based on Kav LaOved’s findings, examined the implementation of the agreements signed between the Histadrut and the Ministry of Finance, which were signed in November 2018. Only two days later took place a  fatal accident in Yavneh, which took the lives of four people during the dismantling of a crane. This tragic event shed light on the disturbingly  low standards concerning the secure operation of cranes, and to the fact that the necessary amendments in legislation regarding maintenance and standardization of operating cranes have not been adopted. At an emergency conference held in the Knesset, we presented a document detailing the main steps that must be taken immediately.

During the escalated fighting in the South an agricultural worker was injured in the field -and no one takes responsibility

Remember the escalation in the South in early May? Just before the Eurovision Song Contest? So imagine that you are an agricultural worker who goes out to the field. That's what happened on May 5, 2019 to Chaiya Mahakhot, an agricultural worker from Thailand, who went to work in a greenhouse (located in the fields) in Moshav Ohad. The instructions of the “Home Front Command”, regarding Moshav Ohad allowed work only if there is a shelter in a 15 seconds running distance. There was no such shelter,  Chaiya said, and he was wounded by shrapnel. Last week, Miriam and Ning, from our Agriculture Department, visited his hospital bed. There is a long rehabilitation process before him.

The general assembly of Kav LaOved will be held on the 25th of  July - all are invited

The general assembly of Kav LaOved will be held on Thursday the 25.7.2019, 19:00 at the offices of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, 11 Rothschild Blvd. Tel Aviv. During the assembly we will elect the board of directors and an audit committee. Members who wish to submit their candidacy or who wish to submit a proposal for discussion at the assembly or a change in Kav LaOved's articles of association are kindly requested to inform us by July 7, 2019 at adi.m@kavlaoved.org.il . If you wish to be a member of Kav LaOved (and have voting rights at the general assembly) you need to fill the membership form and pay a membership fee by June 24th. For further information.