Palestinian workers reportedly subject to wage discrimination & poor working conditions by Israeli cos; Yamit Filtration did not respond
Citizen news outlet has published an article revealing the discrimination faced by Palestinian workers in the Israeli settlements and industrial zones. The article says that Israel employers take advantage of the exploitative work permit system and little labour oversight in the West Bank; as such they don't provide Palestinian workers with adequate protective equipments, fair wages and insurance. The article further states that Palestinian workers are not compensated for any work-related injuries and are often left at checkpoints or abandoned outside hospitals. In addition, workers claim that they have sustained long terms health issues due to the hazardous conditions on construction sites and in factories.
According to the article, workers at the Israeli water filtration company Yamit have recently reached an agreement with the company after one-year long negotiation efforts followed by a strike. The agreement provides for increased wages , paid annual leave as well as an end of service benefit commensurate with the number of years an employee has worked for the company. The company is one of a few companies that continue to benefit from systematic labour rights abuses against Palestinian workers.
The company still relies on the Jordanian labour law which was abolished in 1996 , despite an Israeli High Court decision ruling that Palestinian workers should be subject to the Israeli labour law as well as Israeli courts decisions stating that Israeli companies cannot discriminate based on the nationality of workers. In addition, the article claims that Palestinian workers at Yamit plant are exposed to unsafe working conditions through choking fumes and dust resulting from the lack of ventilation in the Yamit factory.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre contacted Yamit company for a response to the raised allegations, the company did not respond.