Caregivers hold one-day warning strike over working conditions

Some 3,400 caregivers throughout the country went on a one day warning strike Monday in protest over their working conditions.The caregivers, working in day care centers under the authority of the Economy Ministry, protested what they said were unfair employment conditions. As such, dozens of caregivers across all sectors – Arab, ultra-Orthodox, and secular- protested outside the Economy Ministry building in Jerusalem.According to the caregivers, whose one day strike left some 15,000 children aged 0-3 without care, they are not considered salaried employees and as such do not receive social benefits and are often not paid salaries on time.Standing outside the ministry building, the caregivers, who run day care centers of up to five children mostly in their homes, called on Economy Minister Naftali Bennett to address their needs.In response, the Economy Ministry released a statement to the media: “The issue of the status of the caregivers was discussed several times in court and it was ruled that there is no employer-employee relation between the state/local authorities/service providers and the caregivers.”“The framework of the day care centers is a private framework, run by a day care center manager, who is an independent caregiver (small business owner) in her home, who decides each year whether she wants to run the center, as a certified daycare center or not,” the statement read.