http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?id=51739&mador=1
Ha'aretz, July 19, 1999
Thailand plans lawsuit against Israel for
exploiting its foreign workers
By Yossi Bar-Moha, Ha'aretz Correspondent
The Thai government is considering filing a
multi-million dollar lawsuit against the
government of Israel, the Moshav Movement and
local manpower agencies for failing to honor
their contracts with Thai workers.
Thai ambassador to Israel Domedeg Bunnag said in
an interview with Ha'aretz that earlier this
month, he called on the Moshav Movement and the
manpower agencies that handle Thai agricultural
workers to increase the pay of their Thai workers
at least to the legal minimum wage. He said that
if the workers' conditions were not improved, his
government would no longer permit Israel to
import Thai workers.
"I am almost moved to tears when I see the
conditions of Thai workers in Israel. They live
in sub-human conditions, and are constantly
exploited by both the moshav owners and the
manpower agencies," he said. Some 80 percent of
the workers are not paid the minimum wage
stipulated by law, do not receive wage slips, are
not paid overtime and are generally deprived of
rights they do not even know they have.
Bunnag said the Thai workers are grossly
underpaid. "They receive only 65 to 68 shekels
per day, below the legal minimum daily wage of 75
shekels. I am also insisting that they be paid an
additional 16 shekels per hour for the first two
hours of overtime, as mandated by law. Each Thai
worker is cheated out of 22 shekels per day by
Israeli employers paying less than the minimum
wage.
"I have informed them that if this situation is
not rectified by September, my government will
order all Thai workers in Israel to return home,
and will cancel all permits regarding the
importation of Thai laborers to Israel."
The ambassador had harsh words for the Israeli
employers exploiting the workers. "They live in
horrible sub-standard conditions, four or five
workers sharing a small, old and underventilated
caravan. They are charged a monthly rent of 600
shekels for this privilege."
He also criticized the employers for endangering
their workers' health. "During a recent
fact-finding tour I took with other embassy staff
we came across numerous cases when workers
spraying flowers had no adequate protection, and
were wearing paper masks over their faces. Many
workers return home sick with respiratory
deseases, the result of not being given adequate
protective gear when handling hazardous
pesticides."
Bunnag also accused Israeli employers of cheating
their Thai workers by overcharging them for their
airfare here. He said the Thai government is
planning to file a $30 million lawsuit for
compensation to workers overcharged and underpaid
by their employers, unless the relevant Israeli
authorities do something to compensate the
defrauded workers.
Efraim Cohen, who heads the Labor and Social
Affairs Ministry's foreign worker administration,
said he had met with the ambassador and heard his
litany of grievances. Cohen said Israel regrets
the exploitation and mistreatment of Thai
citizens.
Cohen said that he would do what he could to
rectify the situation, each complaint would be
checked, and employers found guilty of exploiting
their workers would have the book thrown at them.
(c) copyright 1999 Ha'aretz. All Rights Reserved
