"Workers' Rights in Crisis, Palestinian workers' Rights in Israel and the Settlements", ITUC, 12 April 2021

The International Trade Union Confederation(ITUC) has revealed a new report exposing the exploitation of Palestinian workers in Israel and in the illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. The report sheds light on the working conditions of Palestinian workers and analyses evidence related to jobs, work permits, wages, social protection, health and safety and access to justice.

According to the report, more than 130,000 Palestinian work in Israel and the illegal settlements due to the high unemployment rate in West Bank and Gaza. Their access to work in Israel and the settlements is controlled through an exploitative permit system, security checks and checkpoints. This system controls the palestinian access to work as permits are issued only in sectors where Palestinian workers pose no competition to Israeli workers; and only Palestinians who could obtain valid work permits can be ‘legally’ employed by Israeli businesses. The report further reveals the discrimination faced by Palestinian workers with regards to wages, and also exposes the reality of poor occupational health and safety, gaps in social protection and the humiliation of having to queue at checkpoints.

The report also provides a set of recommendations including, a complete end to the exploitative labour broker system, respect for the fundamental rights of the workers, in line with the ILO Centenary Declaration, set a minimum wage on which workers and their families can live with dignity and maximum hours of work, and impose a due diligence requirement on employers regarding human and labour rights with effective compliance.