State of emergency:
Appealed to the legal counsel for the police about officers illegally stopping civilians who were on their way to work without cause and requested that they follow the guidelines (27-3-2020).
Foreign Workers:
Joined Kav LaOved and other organizations in a letter to the Interior Minister, Finance Minister, and Labor Minister asking them to allow asylum seekers to receive their moneys accumulated in the deposit fund for so-called “infiltrators” in light of the current crisis (23-03-2020). On April 23rd, three years after ACRI and six other organizations first petitioned against the so-called “Deposit Law,” the HCJ struck down the law as unconstitutional and demanded that the government return the funds to asylum seekers within 30 days.
Sent a letter to the Ministers of Labor and the Interior regarding the need for an emergency arrangement to provide unemployment payments to workers in the process of obtaining legal status in Israel (29-03-2020).
Along with Kav LaOved and Physicians for Human Rights, we contacted the Ministries of Labor, Security, and Health to demand government oversight for approximately 50,000 West Bank Palestinian workers stuck in Israel for the 30-60 day period during which the West Bank was closed. Partners demanded bearable adequate accommodation and health care for the duration of the closure (23-3-2020). On 28.4.20, after the situation remained unchanged, the organizations petitioned to the HCJ demanding health insurance and livable accommodation for workers, many of whom were sleeping in construction sites. In response to the petition, we are pleased to report (as of 06/05/20) that they key issues we petitioned for have been accepted, and that the workers, many of whom are employed in dangerous industries, will have health insurance in Israel and will be treated by clinics or hospitals if needed, and that the employers’ obligations regarding living conditions that they are required to provide are specified now in the emergency regulations.
Additionally, the government responded that the taking of personal documents from employees to restrict their movement was a mistake derived from old regulations, and will no longer be practiced.
Women furloughed:
Joined a petition with the Worker’s Rights Clinic and WIZO against the imposition of emergency regulations that allow for putting pregnant women and women undergoing fertility treatments on sick leave without pay (13-04-2020). As a result, these emergency regulations were canceled. Participated in HCJ hearing with Adalah and WIZO to find a solution for the thousands of women already harmed by the 11 days that this regulation was in place (20-4-2020).
Unemployment and sick leave benefits:
Contacted the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services and the National Employment Bureau to request they ease the criterion to qualify for unemployment benefits during the Corona crisis, for employees who were on sick leave and those who are self-employed (23-03-2020).
Joined in a letter initiated by the Women’s Caucus to the Director of the National Insurance Institute to request they allow maternity leave to be paid to mothers who took sick leave because of Corona (01-04-2020).
Joined a letter with the Center for Clinical Legal Education at the Hebrew University to the Finance Minister and others requesting that they require employers to allow paid sick leave (29-03-2020).
Joined in a letter initiated by the Women’s Caucus to the Director of the National Insurance Institute to request they allow maternity leave to be paid to mothers who took sick leave because of Corona (01-04-2020).
Appealed with Itaach-Maaki and Adalah to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to extend unemployment benefit eligibility to apply to young people ages 18-20 years (06-04-2020).