Azam Azam
AFP
Azam Azam compensation appeal rejected
Israeli who spent eight years in Egyptian prison for espionage won't receive 24-hour salary compensation from Tefron
The Tel Aviv Labor Court recently rejected an appeal submitted by Azam Azam for additional workplace compensation over time spent in Egyptian prison.
Azam, who was employed as a mechanic at the Tefron textile company demanded that his salary be calculated according to a 24 hour work day for the duration of his detention in Egypt.
His appeal was rejected after the court ruled that he had no labor relations with the company when he was imprisoned.
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In his appeal Azam claimed that the company paid him a salary during his imprisonment and presented it as evidence that the company considered him an employee.
Yet Azam alleged that the salary should have been based on a 24 hour work day. In light of these claims Azam asked that the court order the company to pay him the difference in salary, severance pay and additional funds for early dismissal.
In contrast, the company claimed that they acted with leniency when they chose to transfer payments to Azam's family, mainly from humanitarian reasons after which the State of Israel paid his salary. Tefron claimed that their contract with Azam ended the moment he was arrested.
Labor Court Judge Michal Levitt rejected Azam's claims and ruled that his arrest prevented labor relations with Tefron and that Azam was in no way entitled to the difference between the slaries as he was unavailable to Tefron.
Azam Azam was arrested by Egyptian authorities in 1996 over suspicions of espionage when he visited Egypt on Behalf of Tefron to train local employees. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was released after eight years within the framework of a deal between Egypt and Israel. Six Egyptian terror suspects were released in exchange for Azam.
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