Workers Advice Center - WAC (Ma'an)

Registered Non Profit Association No. 58-03253-63

Head Office: Nazareth Eastern Qua. - POB 2647I Israel Zip Code 16126

Tel: +972-4-6020680 Fax: +972-4-6462152

E-mail: maan@maan.org.il

Web Site: www.workersadvicecenter.org

WAC's E-Report No. 8  

May 2006

WAC's May E- Report includes items on: 

1. WAC's May Day event in Tel Aviv draws wide range support and media coverage. 

2. WAC leaders present crisis of unemployment among Arab workers at high level meetings.

3. March 8^th – International Women's Day – WAC organizes demo of Arab women demanding jobs in Agriculture.

4. Asma Agbarieh the head of DAAM (ODA) Party in the recent Israeli Elections puts workers' issues on the top of the political agenda. She calls for building a new Workers' Party that aims to unite Arab and Jewish workers.

1. WAC's May Day event: Workers Hold Their Heads High

On the eve of May Day (Sunday April 30th), 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).

On regular days, Arab workers from the Galilee, the Triangle and East Jerusalem do not feel at home in Tel Aviv. 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's 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, aged 15,  spoke in the name of the 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 by the police.

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 opening employment in agriculture and construction according to the terms of the 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, a female Arab farm worker who leads WAC's efforts among women, ended the event with a speech full of energy and 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 or daughter. It offered me to be a candidate and a leader in the elections."

At the climax of the event, twenty workers, including six women, employed in agriculture, were given certificates of appreciation by WAC representatives. These men and women were chosen by their work teams as the workers who proved to be most dedicated to their group's 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.

Pictures of the event

Pictures of the Exhibition (Hebrew text) 

2.  WAC leaders present crisis of unemployment among Arab workers in high level meetings 

Recently, WAC leaders presented the situation of unemployment among Arab workers in a number of high level meetings. The meetings were held with Mr. Udi Shental, Deputy General Director of the Ministry of Trade Commerce and Labor, A meeting with Mr. Ya'acov Zigdon – Deputy General Manager of the Employment Authority, two presentations in front of Knessent Special Committee on Mehalev – Workfare program (Known also as the Wisconsin Program), two meetings with the Associations of Industrialists and Contractors.

In all of these meetings WAC presented its position regarding the real level of unemployment among Arabs and especially among Arab Youth and Arab Women. WAC offered a plan in a working paper that was presented to the Employment Authority (see WAC's site). This plan to alleviate unemployment was based on the experience WAC has gained in placement of Arab women in Agriculture.

These meetings have also signified WAC's central role in fighting unemployment. In the meeting with the Deputy General Director of the Employment Ministry (April 11th) WAC's National Coordinator Assaf Adiv was asked to present the view of WAC regarding placement of Arab workers and there was a consensus in the room that WAC is doing a lot more than the Employment Authority regarding Arab workers.

In a position paper dated January 2006, written for a meeting with the deputy director-general of the Employment Ministry, Yaakov Zigdon, WAC proposed the following steps:

a. To subsidize every farmer who employs Israeli workers.

2. A gradual decrease in quotas for the import of migrant workers,

An article by WAC's Coordinator Dani Ben Simhoun was also published lately in Ha'aretz (May 8). Ben Simhoun exposed the lie of the employers that "there are no workers in Israel who want to work in Agriculture and therefore it is necessary to import migrant workers".                  

WAC conducts jobs placements under the condition that the employer signs an agreement with WAC in accordance with the collective agreement. WAC does not charge the employers for the service of locating the workers and is doing this work in the framework of its concerted effort to overcome a special situation of segregation and neglect that Arab workers face in the Israeli labor market. 

3. International Women's Day, March 8, 2006

People passing the government offices at a Tel Aviv intersection paused for a strange sight. A hundred women, Arab workers and Jewish activists, stood on the sidewalk with signs proclaiming: "Women want to leave the circle of poverty!" and "Who said Israeli women don't want to work in agriculture?" From the megaphone came phrases in Arabic. Female farm workers and jobless women had arrived from Galilee to protest against a government policy that leaves them in poverty.

Orit Soudry, who organized the demonstration for the Workers Advice Center (WAC-MAAN), announced that WAC was using this day to urge the opening of jobs for Arab women in Israel. "Today," said Soudry, "we offer the Ministry of Commerce and Industry a genuine opportunity to solve our unemployment problem. We say, 'The key is in your hands. Open the door to employment.'"

For the past year WAC has worked hard to bring Israel's jobless Arab women back into agriculture. Although successful to a point, WAC keeps colliding with an obstacle that can only be removed by government action. The farm bosses claim that employing local workers at the legal minimum wage, including social benefits, is too expensive. They prefer either migrant workers from abroad (who arrive helpless and exploitable, having gone into debt to come here) or locals supplied by a contractor. In both these cases, they needn't pay social benefits.

Sigal Rosen, director of Moked – The Hotline for Migrant Workers, spoke to the demonstrators on March 8, addressing the problems of employing migrants and Israeli citizens she said: "All workers suffer from this, whether they're migrants or Israelis, and the only ones who benefit are the employers. Only solidarity among workers, and only a common struggle for jobs under fair conditions for all, can ensure a dignified existence for you and the migrant workers both."

The women who demonstrated on March 8 are the tip of an iceberg. WAC believes there are thousands like them in the Arab sector who want agricultural jobs. The absence of a government policy to encourage them is partly responsible for the large unemployment in the Arab sector. Agriculture is a potentially excellent source of jobs for Arab women, only 17% of whom presently work outside the home (compared with 50% of Jewish women).

One of the speakers at the demonstration was Siham Alawi, a farm worker from Kufr Qara. Alawi is a WAC member, and a mother of 4. She stressed the importance of women's going out to work: "Today's women refuse to accept the attempt to shut them in the house and keep them from developing. Many have broken the chains of tradition and the patriarchal regime. They've gone out to work, and they've proved their capabilities on all levels."

From the words of Hanna Rashed of Nazareth one can see the change that has taken place: "I'm a mother of three. Till five months ago I was a housewife, but then I began to work for Sindyanna of Galilee (a fair-trade organization marketing olive products). I work eight hours a day and get a salary including an official pay slip with all the social benefits. Going out to work has given me self-confidence and helped me develop. It's also been a positive influence on the children, who see me helping to support the family."

4. Asma Agbarieh's Election Diary: The Workers Who Built the Campaign

The unique election campaign of the ODA put the question of a party for workers in the center stage of Israeli politics. Asma Agbarieh, the candidate of the ODA was the only woman who headed a list for the Knessent. She presented a forceful advocacy in the name of the workers she represented. Following is part of her "Election Diary" as was published in Challenge Magazine (May -June 2006). For the full article and other information of ODA's campaign see its site: www.odaction.org

"Early February. Kufr Qara. Two months until elections. It is a meeting between members of ODA-DAAM, the Organization for Democratic Action, and a group of workers women and men. Today the workers will make a decision as to whether they want to be on the list of ODA candidates for the Knesset. The topic is at the end of the agenda. I'm on pins and needles. Unlike me, the workers sit relaxed in their seats. The youngest is 27, the oldest, Munir Ka'war (Abu Wisam) is 66. His opinion counts the most for me. And for a reason.

Three years ago, when ODA last ran, Abu Wisam claimed that the society wasn't ready for the notion that manual workers could represent themselves: "People will say, 'What do they know about politics?'" When the time arrived to discuss ODA, I asked, "What do you think today, Abu Wisam?" Instead of answering directly, he told the group a story: "Thirty years ago I worked at a building site in Tel Aviv with a young construction engineer from Russia. He used to invite me during the break for a cup of coffee nearby. One day that I'll never forget, one of our fellow workers asked us to take him along so he could go to the bank. After he'd done what he needed, he returned to the car to wait for us while we had our usual coffee. We yelled to him that he should come join us. He excused himself, because he was embarrassed about his dirty work clothes. To my astonishment, the engineer got up, took a stand in the middle of this Tel Aviv street, and delivered a speech in praise of the workers, telling my friend, 'You are the foundation of the whole society!' In Russia they knew how to value the worker." 

This story was the dramatic introduction to Abu Wisam's announcement that he would join the ODA list. He was joined by laborers from Kufr Qara, Nazareth, Um al-Fahm, Kfar Manda, Shaab and other places – for a total of 29 men and women.

Workers Advice Center - WAC (Ma'an)

Registered Non Profit Association No. 58-03253-63

Head Office: Nazareth Eastern Qua. - POB 2647I Israel Zip Code 16126

Tel: +972-4-6020680 Fax: +972-4-6462152

E-mail: maan@maan.org.il

Web Site: www.workersadvicecenter.org

WAC's E-Report No. 5  

Nov. 2005

Date: November 22, 2005

The November E- Report includes items on:

1. Update on the struggle of WAC against the threat to dismantle it.

2. WAC has taken a major role in a new Government plan to train construction workers. This official recognition puts WAC as a defacto representative body of Arab Construction workers.

3. Palestinian workers from Gaza & West Bank – World Bank criticizes Israel's refusal to allow workers into work places inside Israel.

4. Coalition of workers Centers and Social organizations present to the Knesset Committee a grave picture of the 18,000 unemployed workers in the Mehalev – Workfare (Wisconsin) Program.

5. WAC News in Brief

1.  WAC's campaign against Government harassment gains momentum

Many letters of protest were sent by WAC's friends and allies inside Israel and Abroad. (Some of them can be seen in WAC's Campaign site: http://www.workersadvicecenter.org/campaign/Campaign-protest-letters.htm

For background information on the case see:

http://www.workersadvicecenter.org/campaign/wac01.html )

We want to thank those of you who made the effort to send letters and to urge those who did not do it to do the same. The struggle for the legitimization of WAC is crucial.

Since the beginning of October 2005 a new round of struggle began after the Registrar of NPA's in Israel decided to retreat from previous understandings with us and resume his initial plan to take control over WAC and paralyze the Center's work in the defense and the organization of workers.

In a letter sent by the Ministry of Justice to our supporters as a response to their protest letters the fabricated charges against WAC as a “cover-up” for the ODA Party were specified again, and the conclusion of the letter said: "Accordingly the Registrar ordered the commencement of a process of dissolution of the Association".

The campaign of support for WAC has widened considerly in side Israel and is putting a lot of pressuer on the Registrar and the Ministry of Justice. A firm protest letter came from MK Roman Bronfman (Meretz). Another important letter came from a former Legal Advisior to the Government Mr. Michael Ben Yair who the Registrar and supported WAC.

Another important development came from the WCL (World Confederation of Labor) that decided to follow the case of WAC with the ILO. The WCL’s decision came as a response to WAC's appeal to Trade Unions affiliated with ILO to support WAC's appeal to the ILO. In its letter to the Chief of the Freedom of Association Branch International Labor Standards Department – ILO (dated Oct.4. 2005) WAC mentioned that its harassment by the Registrar of NPA's was in contravention of ILO's Convention No. C87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize. According to article C87, on which Israel has signed, WAC's rights to freedom of organization, freedom to determine the internal regulations of its organizations, its plan of operations, and the choice of its leadership, without interference from the government - should be respected.

 2.    WAC takes a formal role in a new Government project to train 3000 construction workers

Since 2002 WAC's program "A Job to Win" has been a focus of our work. In the last three years WAC appealed to the Courts, Knesset, Press in its campaign to stop the slave trade of Chinese and Turkish workers and to allow more Arab workers in the Construction industry as organized workforce with full rights. In many cases WAC was smeared by the Contractors for its role against the practice of using cheap and unorganized labor.

Now, for the first time, The Association of Builders and Contractors in Israel (ACBI)  {see: http://www.acb.org.il/english.asp} has decided to recognize WAC as a representative body of Arab workers in Israel and invited it to take a formal role in the framework of the new Government plan to train Construction workers.

In a conference of Government officials and major Israeli Contractors held on Oct. 26 2005 in Hamacabia Conference Center in Ramat Gan, the new project was launched with the aim of training 3000 construction workers with in a year. The project that has a budget of NIS 40 million for a year will allow the contractors to receive a subsidy of NIS 1000 a month for each local worker they employ. On the other hand the Project specified the wages that should be paid to the workers which are significantly higher than the current wages in the Construction Branch. The project is considered to be a recognition of the contractors that the free flow of cheap migrant workers has come to an end.   

Assaf Adiv, WAC's national Coordinator was one of the speakers in the event together with Mr. Yehuda Segev, the CEO of ACBI, Ms. Sarah Horesh, Head of Vocational Training Departemnt in the Ministry oof Employment and Ms. Ester Domonisiny – Head of Employment Authority. Asiv expressed WAC's readiness to work with the contractors in the framework of this project and to help in organizing Arab workers on the condition that the Contractors employ them according to the collective Agreement and pay the high wages specified in the project.

WAC will put all its experience and resources to organize workers who get the benefits of this project. We will make sure that the contractors’ obligations in the project will be implemented and that the rights and wages promised to the workers will be respected.      

3. Agreement on Gaza Crossings leaves out the major issue of Palestinian workers entry into Israel

On Nov. 15 Israel and the PA reached an agreement on the Gaza Crossings. The agreement that was reached with direct involvement of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and only after the Quartet's Mideast envoy, James Wolfensohn threatened his resignation, stipulated the detailes of the Rafah Crossings (Between Gaza and Egypt), Karni (transferring Goods between Israel and Gaza) and the Safe Passage (Between Gaza and the West Bank). 

Regardless of the shortcomings of the agreement with regard to these three essential elements of Gaza's population and economy, what was missing from the discussion was the question of Palestinian workers entrance into Israel.

Although Israel announced on Sunday Nov. 20^th that the Erez Crossings form Gaza to Israel will be open for workers, the numbers that would be allowed are negligent. The fact that this issue was even not dealt with in the negotiations is a dangerous signal to the effect that Israel's position of phasing out Palestinian labor has became a fai't Accompli.

The representative of the World Bank criticized Israel: "Israel had promised the World Bank that it would allow 15,000 workers per day to enter Israel from the strip, but has not fulfilled this pledge, allowing fewer than 100 per day in October."

Gaza crossings still closed, By: Daniel Breslau, Weekly Report "Occupation" , 3 - 9 November 2005  http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=9830

See also: Israel, PA to sign Gaza border deal today haaretz 15. Nov.05 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/645411.html

4.    A coalition of Workers' Centers and Social organizations present a very negative report on the first 3 months of the Mehalav-Workfare (“Wisconsin”) program

A coalition of Workers' Centers and Social organizations met on Tuesday Nov.15 with MK Yga'al Yasinov (Shinuy) and presented a report on the first 3 months of the implementation of the Mehalav-Workfare program. The coalition of groups and organizations that support unemployed workers in the 4 Companies that operate the program include: Commitment, Rabies for Human Rights, Alon, Public Advocacy and WAC. The coalition will also present their report in front of a special Knesset Committee to Follow up on the implementation of the Plan to be held under the leadership of MK Haim Oron.

WAC's negative approach to the Mehalav-Workfare program that is based on our experience with Arab unemployed workers (see article in WAC's site ) is shared by all these groups who deal with Jewish unemployed. The first 3 months of the plan in all the Companies showed a similar picture:

-          No real jobs available to send people to

-          No facilities were prepared to help 18,000 unemployed go to work

-          High percentage of the people that were sent to the Companies were actually not fit to work due to age and health situation.

-          Companies were sending workers to Temp Agencies and Cleaning Contractors who are not paying salaries in accordance with the law.

Ms. Asma Aghbaria who leads WAC's Follow Up Committee on the new plan sent a detailed complailt to the Hadera based Agens – Israel Company on Nov. 3 and showed that Arab women were put to to work for 12 hours in cleaning schools for a salary of NIS 110 Per day (a lot less than the minimum wage - NIS18 per hour or NIS 144 a day ). Asma Aghbaria was quoted in the local Israeli and Arab press.     

5.    WAC News in brief

* WAC and HPH (Hanitzotz Publishing House) have opened a new center in Kufr Qara – On Saturday Nov. 12, WAC celebrated the opening of its fifth Center in the Village of Kufr Qara. The event was attended by 70 workers and Youth group activists who are members of WAC in the Village. The Center will provide legal advice for workers and unemployed (unemployed workers from the Village are the victims of the Mehalev – Workfare program in Hadera - see above), provide a base to place workers in construction and agriculture and serve as a center for Youth activities. WAC-HPH will also organize special activities for women: the first of these started Nov. 16 and is a course of Basketry for women workers and housewives organized also in collaboration with Sindyanna of Galilee Association and led by Ronit Pan. Some photos from the opening:

* WAC's fourth Football Championship took place on 18^th  in the village Kufr Manda. Seven teams of workers competed including the team of WAC staff. Khalil Hamdan's group from Kufr Qara took the Cup for 2005. Some photos:

* Roni Ben Efrat, WAC's International Relation representative, will visit Australia and Hong Kong. She will meet ACTU, Apheda, LHMU, Church Groups, Jewish progressives and the Peace Movement.

• Our readers are encouraged to send comments, questions and suggestions. We recommend you to read further in our site and in our sister publications in English Challenge www.hanitzotz/com/challenge  In German www.challenge-magazin.de Arabic - Al Sabar www.hanitzotz/com/alsabar and in Hebrew Etgar : www.etgar.info

Workers Advice Center - WAC (Ma'an)

Registered Non Profit Association No. 58-0325-36-3

Head Office: Nazareth Eastern Qua. - POB 2647I Israel Zip Code 16126

Tel: +972-4-6020680 Fax: +972-4-6462152

E-mail: maan@maan.org.il

Web Site: www.workersadvicecenter.org

WAC's E-Report No. 4  

Oct. 2005

Date: October, 3, 2005

 Dear friends,

Our October E-Report includes updates on several issues that were dealt with in our previous reports – Palestinian workers, Construction and Agricultural workers, and Me’halev – Welfare to Work (Wisconsin) Plan. Our focus, however is on the renewed harassment of WAC by the Israeli Authorities, this time it is an attempt of the Israeli Registrar of NPAs to take over WAC and change its structure and leadership!

We would ask all of you who were so active in the initial stages of the campaign to make another effort and write the Israeli Minister of Justice a letter of protest (details in the report).

Best regards

Assaf Adiv

National Coordinator

WAC-Ma'an