Global unions file ILO complaint to recover wages of over 200,000 Palestinian workers in Israel

The complaint highlights the obligations of Israeli authorities to redress and remedy a range of abuses, including unpaid wages and withheld benefits for more than 200,000 Palestinian workers employed in Israel.

These abuses have led to millions of dollars of lost income, causing severe financial insecurity, economic distress, deprivation of basic services, and widespread hardship for the affected workers and their families, who have no access to judicial remedies.

Filed on 27 September 2024, under article 24 of the ILO Constitution, the joint complaint details the exploitative conditions faced by more than 200,000 Palestinian workers from the West Bank and Gaza, formally or informally employed in Israel at the time of the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. These workers have experienced widespread wage theft due to the suspension of work permits and the unilateral termination of their contracts.

The global unions’ complaint is based on evidence showing that over 200,000 workers from Gaza and the West Bank have not been paid for work completed before 7 October and have received no wages since. According to ILO estimates, the average daily wage for Palestinian workers employed in Israel under regular work permits was 297.30 shekels (US$79). Claimants estimate that the average weekly wage for workers in the informal economy ranged between 2,100 and 2,600 shekels (US$565-700). For more than a year, Palestinian workers have been unable to recover their outstanding wages or settle wage debts.

“The withholding of wages is just the latest unjustified indignity faced by Palestinian workers under occupation. Like the current bombardment of Gaza, there is no justification for this disproportionate action. This is a collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” said PSI General Secretary Daniel Bertossa

The complaint was signed by the following organisations listed in alphabetical order: the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI); Education International (EI); IndustriALL Global Union; International Federation of Journalists (IFJ); International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF); the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF); Public Services International (PSI); Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), and UNI Global Union.

“When I visited the West Bank earlier this year, I witnessed the economic destitution experienced by the families of Palestinian workers employed in Israel. As always, working people are enduring the worst of the continuing conflict. Through this petition, we want to ensure that the much-needed backpay is paid out to workers who are struggling to make ends meet,” stated Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the ITUC.

Over 200,000 workers from Gaza and the West Bank have not been paid for work completed before 7 October and have received no wages since.

“International law is clear: no crisis, not even war, can justify the suspension of labour rights or the denial of justice to workers. Palestinian workers, many of whom were employed in Israels’ construction sector, have the right to be paid their outstanding wages. We will not be satisfied until justice is delivered for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers who have been denied their due, and a ceasefire is reached,” said BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson.

“Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has splintered the Palestinian economy for decades causing an overreliance on the Israeli labour market. The sudden unemployment of Palestinians working in Israel has left hundreds of thousands destitute. Israel must comply with its international legal obligations and ensure these workers receive their owed wages immediately. As we work towards a lasting peace, Israel should also consider reopening its labour market to Palestinian workers,” said ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton.

"On top of the brutal war in Gaza and increased violence in the West Bank, Palestinian migrant workers are being stripped of their ability to work and robbed of millions in wages they've rightfully earned. The Israeli government's breach of ILO Convention 95 on the Protection of Wages has put hundreds of thousands of families, many already facing precarity, on the brink of economic devastation. This profound injustice highlights the need for international conventions, especially in times of war and conflict, and for the state of Israel to honour the commitments it made as a member of the ILO," said UNI Global Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman.

“The withholding of wages is just the latest unjustified indignity faced by Palestinian workers under occupation. Like the current bombardment of Gaze, there is no justification for this disproportionate action. This is a collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” said PSI General Secretary Daniel Bertossa

"Education International stands in unwavering solidarity with Palestinian workers and calls on Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law and ensure the payment of all owed wages. In addition, teachers in Gaza and the West Bank have not been paid their salaries since November 2023, and despite the catastrophic and inhumane conditions, they continue to show up for their students.  Educators around the world renew our call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the secure entry of humanitarian aid, the unconditional release of all hostages, the recognition of Palestinian rights, and the protection of schools as safe sanctuaries for teachers and students," said Education International General Secretary, David Edwards

“This is a massive violation of an important ILO convention. Withholding wages from 200,000 workers cannot be tolerated in any way. This is why we are joining the ITUC and the other GUFs in filing this complaint,” said IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie. 

For media inquiries or further information, please contact the ITUC press office at [email protected], and/or BWI at [email protected]