Israel owes $9 billion in compensation for Palestinian workers since 2023

The Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, backed by international labour bodies, is seeking $9 billion in compensation from Israel for about 225,000 Palestinian workers who lost their jobs inside Israel after the genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023. A case has been filed with the International Labour Organisation concerning the right to wages and legal entitlements under binding international agreements.

Although he is increasingly convinced that Israel will not pay up, Imran al-Saeed, a worker from Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, agreed to have his name included on a list of tens of thousands of Palestinian workers for whom the federation, with support from international unions, is seeking financial compensation from Israeli employers.

"My losses exceed $100,000. I worked for more than two decades for a contracting company in Israel with a legal permit. I am entitled to end-of-service benefits and other financial rights. But after 7 October 2023, I was not allowed to enter Israel, and my employment was terminated without the company paying any of my rights. There are tens of thousands of workers like me," al-Saeed told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Arabic language sister publication to The New Arab.

Broad effort

Shaher Saad, the federation's secretary-general, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Palestinian workers who lost their jobs in Israel are facing catastrophic conditions by all standards. Hundreds of requests for assistance have reached the federation, particularly in the absence of any support from the Palestinian government, which, he said, is unable to pay its employees' salaries.

At the same time, labour unions are unable to provide financial support to these workers, who require substantial budgets.

Saad said this prompted the move to secure workers' rights. The federation submitted a file to the International Trade Union Confederation containing figures and statistics on losses suffered by workers inside Israel.

There were several visits to Palestine by the international body, including the secretaries-general of seven international federations, notably those representing transport, construction and wood, public services, industry, education, journalism and agriculture. These visits included meetings with union leaders and workers and listening to dozens of testimonies from affected workers, in which the officials were informed that more than 200,000 workers employed inside Israel had lost their jobs and that unemployment had risen as a result of the war on Gaza.

They agreed to file a complaint with the International Labour Organisation demanding that the Israeli government compensate Palestinian workers in the Israeli labour market.

Saad said the file includes a demand for compensation for about 225,000 workers who lost at least $9 billion during the war.

"Support is essential because the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions cannot file the case directly with the International Labour Organisation, as Palestine is not a member state," he said.

Saad said the wages of workers employed inside Israel were estimated at 1.35 billion shekels per month, a figure that exceeds the combined salaries of public and private-sector employees and has a significant impact on the local economy.

"Israel is aware of the importance of the steps taken and is seeking to thwart them. Israeli authorities last week prevented a delegation from the Building and Woodworkers International from entering the Palestinian territories. The delegation included nine international union leaders representing 30 million construction and woodworkers worldwide. The body has adopted the compensation case and is advancing it in international forums," he added.

'A real test'

"This case represents a real test of the effectiveness of the International Labour Organisation in protecting workers’ rights and implementing international agreements, particularly amid rising international pressure and growing support from labour unions worldwide for the cause of Palestinian workers," Saad said.

Mohammed al-Hazzam, a labour affairs specialist, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the federation based its estimations on agreements stipulating compensation for workers, particularly an agreement with the Israeli construction workers union that provides compensation for workers in the construction sector if they are forcibly prevented from working, whether by the Israeli government or employers.

He added that Israel is a signatory to International Labour Organisation conventions and can therefore be compelled to compensate Palestinian workers.

Al-Hazzam said that any worker holding a work permit has the right to receive compensation from Israel, citing Article 26 of the International Labour Organisation's Constitution and Convention No. 95, which provides for compensation for workers prevented from working due to war or circumstances beyond their control.

The unions that filed the complaint also accuse Israel of violating the Protection of Wages Convention No. 95, which Israel ratified in 1959. The complaint focuses on the non-payment of wages and due benefits to tens of thousands of workers.

Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here.