Do you know your rights as an employee? We recommend having a general working knowledge of the employment laws in Israel. Employees who are not well-versed in their rights can be taken advantage of, and this can easily happen to olim who don’t ask the right questions (or ask the right people).
Additionally, there can be specific issues that you need in-depth information on, such as the intricacies of termination, maternity pay and pensions. Our goal here is to provide as much helpful information as possible, but if you need greater detail, here’s how to get it.
The Kol Zechut (All Rights) website is partially translated from the Hebrew site and includes many articles on all aspects of legal rights, from health and disability to immigrants and old age. There are numerous articles about employment issues, such as pensions, National Insurance, income tax, labor laws and more.
Kav LaOved is an Israeli nonprofit organization which provides individual help to employees who suspect that their rights have been violated or who want to better understand their circumstances. The organization has office hours and a hotline and can also be contacted via email. The website provides some English language brochures about topics such as work accidents, hourly workers and women’s rights in the workplace.
For more general information, see Nefesh B’Nefesh’s online article on Employee Benefits. This article covers some of the basics of the employee-employer relationship and Israel labor laws.
The Human Resources representative at your company is also a useful resource. In larger companies, there may be an entire HR department, but even in smaller companies, someone is in charge of HR. If you don’t know who that is, ask. The HR representative should be able to explain your pay stub, assist with specific questions and provide you with necessary forms.
There is strength in community. You can easily get answers to employment questions by posting on olim social media groups, especially those that are dedicated to career discussions. Of course, not all these answers will be accurate, so take them with a grain of salt, but there is often a consensus on legalities and processes which can point you in the right direction. These groups can also provide firsthand experience of other olim, which is often invaluable.
Knowledge is power and this is certainly true in the realm of employee rights. Awareness can help you choose the right job, get what you deserve in your job and leave a job in the right way.