Workers Hold Their Heads High WAC and ODA celebrate May Day in Tel Aviv On the eve of April 30 2006, hundreds of Arab construction workers, farm workers (mainly women), Israeli social activists and artists assembled in Tel Aviv to celebrate May Day. The event was organized by WAC-MAAN (Workers Advice Center) and the political party ODA (Organization for Democratic Action). Arab workers from the Galilee, the Triangle and East Jerusalem do not feel at home in Tel Aviv these days. For two hours, however, they liberated the square of the Cinematheque in the heart of the city. One could see this on their faces: they felt confident and happy to be there.     Five leading singers, Israeli and Arab, contributed to the upbeat mood. Amir Lev, Dan Toren, Nati Ornan, Jalal Ayub and the Arab-Jewish "Lenses" sang workers' songs in Arabic, Hebrew and English to emphasize the day's internationalist spirit. After an opening speech by moderator Ishai Golan, Asma Agbarieh took the podium. Agbarieh was ODA's first candidate in the recent Knesset elections. She tempered the cheer somewhat by drawing a comparison with last year's May Day celebration in the same place. "What has changed?" she asked. "Poverty has deepened. We have a predatory government serving the interests of the rich. These people sail around in their yachts, and in order to pay for the yacht gasoline they fire their workers." As for Amir Peretz, the Labor Party head who is slated to be Defense Minister in the new government, Agbarieh had this to say: "Here's a man who many thought was an authentic workers' leader. But his 'social revolution' has ended with tanks. Amir, is it with tanks and artillery that you're going to stop poverty, or are you going to use them to fight in Gaza and the West Bank?" Jose Escovar spoke in the name of Hotline for Migrant Workers. He talked of his mother – a migrant worker from Equador – who works 15 hours a day. Escovar called on workers to fight the slave conditions of migrants and to stop their brutal harassment and deportation. Assaf Adiv, WAC's National Coordinator presented a bleak picture of the labor market in Israel today: "While the stock exchange rises and billionaires make fortunes, more and more workers in Israel are subjected to subcontractors and personnel companies, where they have no social benefits. More than 25% of the workers in Israel earn less than the minimum wage." Adiv specified WAC's gains in the last year, including new employers in agriculture and construction who have signed collective agreements with WAC. Malek Murad, WAC organizer said: "We are not going to shut up just because they want us to. We will fight for our right to a decent job. Do not give us charity. We want jobs, real jobs, and together with WAC we will get them." Wafah Tayara, an Arab farm worker who leads WAC's efforts among women, ended the event with a speech full of energy and fighting spirit. Tayara told the workers to see WAC as their address and to join its ranks, because it provides protection and support. "But not only that," she said. "We workers, especially Arabs, are in need of a political voice. Just as the employers who exploit us are supported by the government, we need our own party. ODA was the only party that talked to me not as somebody's wife. It allowed me to be a candidate and a leader in the elections." At the climax of the event, twenty workers, including six women in agriculture, were given certificates of appreciation by WAC leaders. These men and women were chosen by their work teams as the most dedicated to group needs. Other speakers at the event were, Haitham Zahalka, leader of the Working Youth, and Shula Keshet from "Ahoti" ("My sister"), an association supporting women below the poverty line. The theme of the event can be summarized in Asma Agbarieh's words: "We are going to fight and take what belongs to us workers. Let no one delude himself that we will give up." Photographic Exhibit Together with the speeches, the Cinematheque Square offered a photo exhibit organized by ActiveStills, an independent group of photographers. Included were pictures by some of most prominent progressive photographers in Israel including: Nir Kafri, Miki Kratsman, Eldad Rafaeli, and Shuka Glutman. For related articles, please visit WAC's web page: WAC Home