Protest for foreign workers
Photo: Dudu Azulay
More severe laws planned against foreign workers
Finance minister to present plan designed to decrease presence of foreigners in work force
Foreign workers' aid organizations warned Sunday that a new government plan to decrease the number of illegal immigrants in Israel would take a toll on the foreign population in the country.
The aid organizations, which include the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the Hotline for Migrant Workers, and the Worker's Hotline, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
to oppose the plan, which they say go against High Court rulings and the obligations of the state.
The new plan will be presented to the government at the weekly cabinet meeting by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who claims that foreign workers have a negative impact on the local market.
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The plan calls for a cooling period, during which illegal immigrants will have to remain outside of Israel for a certain time before they can request a work visa. This clause, the organizations say, will harm partners of Israeli citizens as well as senior citizens and children in need of the worker's care.
Other parts of the plan delineate areas in which foreigners can work and positions they can hold. Those in violation of these laws for over 90 days will be deported.
In addition, the minister of the interior will be charged with setting a limit of foreign workers permitted for each employer. Attorney Oded Peler of the ACRI explains that this move will chain the worker to his employer, and that the High Court of Justice regards it as a modern form of slavery.
"This plan, together with the promotion of the 'revolving door policy', will only bolster motivation to bring additional foreign workers over for an expensive broker's fee and disgraceful abuse of all workers in Israel – Israelis as well as foreigners," he says.
Punitive measures against employers of illegal workers are also included in the plan, such as criminal indictments and fines of up to NIS 25,000 ($6,800). In addition, employers can be punished with loss of employment license for every illegal worker caught.
In order to enforce the new laws, immigration officers will be able to request a court order to search private grounds. Brokers bringing illegal workers to Israel will also be punished more firmly.
Steinitz will present data saying that 255,000 foreign workers were residing in Israel in December of 2009, constituting a total of 10.4% of the work force. Around 125,000 of these are illegal immigrants. The workers are employed in five major fields: Nursing, agriculture, construction, ethnic restaurants, and industry.
