New bill: Work on Shabbat? Get 350% pay
Private bill suggests replacing employers' fines with more pay to those working Saturdays
A private bill calling to raise workers' salary by 350% on Saturdays was presented by Knesset members on Monday in attempt to prevent working on Shabbat.
The bill proposes fighting the growing phenomenon of employees being forced to work Saturdays against their will. "Due to the Hours of Work and Rest Law we are noticing a lot of businesses opening their doors on Shabbat. During the last few years we see many employees working on Shabbat against their will, but they have to do so in order to support their families," the bill's initiators explained.
The bill states that "many employers take advantage of their employees' fragile state and force them to work on Shabbat, and if they refuse they risk being fired. Raising their salary by 350% seems to be a more effective move, rather than implementing and specifying financial penalties on those employers demanding employees to work on Shabbat."
The bill was presented by 14 Knesset members, including MK Uri Ariel (National Union), MK Yaakov Katz (National Union), MK Robert Tibayev (Kadima), MK Dov Khenin (Hadash), Ilan Ghilon (Meretz), MK Shlomo Molla (Kadima), MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) and others.
Religious act of crime? Organized crime
Another private bill was presented to the Knesset on Monday by 21 members, including: MK Yaakov Katz, MK Yulia Shamalov Berkovich (Kadima), MK Ruhama Avraham-Balila (Kadima) and MK Avraham Michaeli (Shas).
The bill states that a terrorist group acting out of religious motivations or acting against religious groups should be considered a criminal organization by law. The bill says that is such cases, authorities will be allowed to activate all authorities in order to fight organized crime.
In a letter explaining the bill, presented by MK Danny Danon (Likud), Orli Levy-Abekasis (Yisrael Beitenu), MK Uri Orbach (Habayit Hayehudi) and MK Arieh Eldad (National Union), it is said that the Organized Crime law offers the authorities the ability to use extensive tools against such organizations.
The proposal says it is possible that an organization trying to harm the public for religious intentions will not meet the specific criteria of today's law. "We propose that a group of people committing terrorist acts motivated by religion or acting against religious groups – will be considers as organized crime," states the bill.
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