Gov't okays better conditions for contract workers
12/24/2012 22:12
Minimum wage for contract workers will increase to NIS 4,500 immediately, with retroactive pay from May 2012.
Picture from the Parasha Photo: Israel Weiss (weisssi@bezeqint.net) http://artfram
Contract workers employed at government offices and local authorities will
receive better wages and conditions after the cabinet on Sunday approved an
agreement between Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Histadrut chairman Ofer
Eini.
Minimum wage for contract workers will increase to NIS 4,500
immediately, with retroactive pay from May 2012. It will then rise to NIS 4,600
in January 2013 and to NIS 4,650 in July 2013, in parallel with the existing
collective workplace agreement for permanent public-sector employees.
In
addition, contract workers will receive other benefits enjoyed by regular
employees, including vouchers for Pessah and Rosh Hashana, more convalescence
pay, a 1 percent increase in pension payments and subsidized meals at their
place of work.
The measure formalizes a memorandum of understanding
signed by Eini and Steinitz on February 12 that ended a four-day Histadrut
general strike.
The labor union held the strike to achieve better
conditions for contract workers, who are mainly employed as cleaners and guards,
in the public and private sectors.