Will Ambassadors have to sign in? (Photo: Shutterstock)

Ambassadors angry at time clock proposal

Israel's senior diplomatic representatives abroad are protesting against new measures which will force them to punch in and out of work.

Itamar Eichner|Published: 12.15.15 , 15:30

Israeli ambassadors around the world are protesting the Foreign Ministry's decision to have them punch in and out of work using a time clock. The Foreign Ministry messaged all embassy heads about the subject, among them ambassadors, general consuls and heads of special interest offices. The decision has caused uproar among senior staffers who have always been exempt from this procedure. As it turns out, this new decision was announced without consulting the Foreign Ministry Workers' Union (FMWU) beforehand.

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Ambassadors are claiming that this is another step towards grinding down their worker's rights. A prominent official said on Monday, "This is a downgrade in our work and service conditions. In the case of the doctors' worker dispute, there was a huge battle on the time clock issue, which was only solved with an overall agreement. That's how it should be here.

"I don't reject the idea of diplomatic station heads having to punch in on the face of it, it's not beneath us or really an essential issue. But it has to be part of an overall discussion and not a technical directive that is dropped on us like this," the official added.

A time clock - A symbol of mistrust? (Photo: Shutterstock)

The FMWU is hesitant on whether they should instruct relevant members to reject the new directive, since it's not guaranteed that refusing to comply with it will be viewed favorably by the public.

Another senior ambassador responded to the new directive by saying: "An ambassador is outside the embassy most of the day. He's traveling in the service country many days, and then he gets invited to other countries so he certainly can't punch his card in.

"Abroad they have respect and courtesy towards those who represent the ruler, and that's why the local staff and embassy guests see this signing-in as a symbol of a lack of faith by the system in Israel in its senior representatives overseas. The Finance Ministry intends to further humiliate the Foreign Ministry workers here," the ambassador said.

Israel's embassy in Egypt. Ambassadors are often outside the office.

The Foreign Ministry said in response, "According to the directives of the civil service commissioner, every civil service worker must punch their time card in every day. In recent inspections by the Ministry, it was found that this directive was not fully implemented in some of Israel's diplomatic stations abroad. It should also be noted that the commission's guidelines and instructions on this matter apply to all civil service workers without exception."