Chasing the Fionist Dream

Knowledge is power. Yup, yup. Definitely one of our favorite mottos, since you can’t guarantee your rights if you don’t know what they are. We bet you’ve already read our first post on Israeli employee rights and have been dying for another one! Right?

Before we continue, we’ve got to give another shoutout to Kol Zchut, which is Israel’s most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to all legal rights in Israel, in the workplace and otherwise. It is backed by the Ministry of Justice and is regarded as the authority on all things rights. (Unfortunately, the service is no longer available in English, as they no longer had the resources to keep it active😢) In the event that you are being denied any of your rights at work, send HR or your boss the appropriate Kol Zchut link as part of your complaint. We have both successfully done this multiple times at past employers. In order to help you, we have added Kol Zchut links to each of our ten points below and to the nine rights on our first post in this series.

And without further ado, here are ten more employee rights that you absolutely should know:

1. You must be paid on time. While there is nothing illegal about being paid biweekly (as is common in the US), it is much more common for Israeli employers to pay their employees monthly. Your employer must pay you by the 9th of the following month. For example, you must receive June’s pay by July 9th. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
2. Your employer must give you the following documents.
   
   
   • Tlush maskoret. You must receive your paystub within nine days of receiving your salary. (Kol Zchut) Make sure to read our handy dandy post on how to read your tlush here.
     
     
   • Form 106. You must receive this annual summary of your tlushim by the end of the following March. (Kol Zchut) Your 106 is a key tool you will need to file your own tax return.
     
     
   • Form 161. This is a summary of all of the deposits made to your pension plan while you worked for your employer. When you leave, you and the tax authorities each get a copy. (Kol Zchut)
     
     
3. Breaks between shifts. You are entitled to at least 8 hours between shifts. If you worked a night shift you are entitled to at least a 12-hour break before your next shift. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
4. Weekends. Every employee is entitled to a 36-hour weekend break for their religion’s day of rest. There are some sectors that are exempted from this due to the nature of their job. However, if you are required to work on Shabbat, you must receive 150% of your regular pay for that day. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
5. Paid leave for shiva. In the sad event that one of your immediate family members dies, your employer must grant you paid leave for the duration of your shiva. In order to be eligible, you must have worked at least 3 months at your current place of work. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
6. Break during the day. In the event that you may leave your work site for break, your employee is not required to pay you for the time you are gone. If they require you to stay on premises, your break must be paid. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
7. Transportation costs. If you live at least 500 meters or two bus stops away from work, your employer is required to pay for your transportation to and from your workplace. Before you get excited about comped gas, we need to tell you that this law requires your employer to pay for the least expensive transportation option, which is the bus. And it maxes out at 22.6 shekels per day, so if your cheapest method is more expensive than that… Sorry. Instead of calculating the number of times you came to the office that month, many employers just add the cost of a monthly bus pass to your tlush. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
8. No sexual harassment – This should be obvious. Still, you are not allowed to harass and shouldn’t be harassed for any reason. If you are harassed, report it to HR right away. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
9. No unpaid internships or unpaid training periods. If you are required to go through company training upon starting a new job, you must be paid for your time. If you see a job ad that mentions an unpaid training period or (gasp!) asks you to pay them for training, run the other way! This is illegal in Israel. Any time that you spend doing anything for your employer must be paid. (Kol Zchut)
   
   
10. Heskem kibutzi (for some people). Unions are a thing here in Israel and their members have negotiated certain employment terms that must be upheld. If you are a teacher, medical professional, public servant, social worker, construction worker, or any other professional with a union, you are entitled to whatever terms were agreed upon (Kol Zchut). In most cases, this includes a keren hishtalmut and for some professions such as security and sanitation, it applies to anyone performing that job, even if you and your employer haven’t formally joined the union. (Kol Zchut)
    

Remember that this list is in no way exhaustive and the more you learn, the more you know, the more you can stand up for yourself and receive the rights that you deserve.

Which of these things surprised you most? Have you ever been denied any of your rights?

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