Ministry of Economy and Industry | Directorate General of Labor

INTRODUCTION We are pleased to present the Minister of Economy and Industry with the third annual report of the Commissioner for Foreign Workers' Labor Rights Unit (hereinafter: "the Unit" and/or "the Commissioner"). The report details the work of the Unit, that strives to promote the safeguarding of foreign workers' rights in Israel, and its main achievements during the past year. The population of foreign workers in Israel numbers approximately 102,300 workers with a work permit, over 80 thousand Palestinian workers, 1 and 19,800 migrant workers without work permits. 2 These workers are primarily employed in the caregiving, agriculture, and construction sectors. At the same time, there are also 29,973 asylum seekers living in Israel, generally working in arduous and complex jobs for relatively low wages. The Commissioner operates by virtue of Section 1 (22a) of the Foreign Workers Law-1991 (hereinafter: "the Law") and is responsible for safeguarding the labor rights of foreign workers currently employed in the State of Israel. This activity, the result of an amendment to the Law that came into effect in 2010, is undertaken in conjunctionwithother government units suchas the LaborDivision's Enforcement andCriminal Prosecution Administration, the relevant departments in the Population and Immigration Authority, and the relevant professional entities in various government departments, and is aimed at bolstering the safeguarding of foreign workers' rights. The Commissioner has been given various authorities to enable it to fulfill its role in realizing this objective. Among others, it has been granted authority to cultivate public awareness of issues under its jurisdiction via education etc., to collaborate with other people or entities in areas under its responsibility including both employers and employees, to intervene in legal procedures in those areas under its jurisdiction in the relevant labor tribunal or court, to address complaints from foreign workers against employers and to undertake any other action it is legally charged with. This report, presented in accordance with Section 6e (2) of the Law, details the Commissioner's objectives and goals, its areas of responsibility and authority, the services it provides to citizens, and the criteria according to which the Commissioner chooses the legal cases referred to her, while surveying its activity during 2021.

The Unit's team hopes that this report will help you become familiar with and learn about its activity in promoting the safeguarding of foreign workers' rights in the Israeli labor market.

1 According to figures provided by the Civil Administration 2 Source: The Population and Immigration Authority's Foreign Workers Report Q3 2021 published in October 2021.

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