Employment:Employing Contract Workers – Part 2

By Shuki Stauber

 

 
Jobs Employment, Career Job, Employment Job

 This article is the continuation of a conversation with Atty. Tzvika Kind, chairman of the Union of Personnel Companies, about developments following the implementation of the amendment to the Personnel Companies Law, which went into effect in October 2008.
If everybody thought it was bad, why did the Knesset decide to accept the nine-months option?
I have no rational explanation to offer. It has to do with political pressures. It’s unbelievable how decisions are reached in the State of Israel. Labor relations are made up of different interconnected systems. You can’t make a decision in one area and think it won’t have consequences in other areas. The time has come for people here to understand how to make decisions properly.
Barak traveled to Camp David and then Amir Peretz ran to Labor Committee Chairman David Tal and said to him, “Let’s push second and third readings through in two weeks.” Coincidentally or perhaps not coincidentally, Tal secured a solid spot on Amir Peretz’ Am Echad list during those elections. There may or may not be a connection, but those are the facts of the matter.
I went to the Labor Committee for the meeting on the issue. I expected a professional, focused discussion. Instead they brought a few employees who told their personal story. The matter was wrapped up in a single meeting where some of the Knesset members were hearing about the proposal for the first time, but still had to reach a final decision. A respected MK told me: “This is a bad law, but because the government is opposed, I’m in favor. As soon as unreasonable limits are imposed on employers the attempts to bypass it harm employees rights more than necessary.