The company Agam Mehalev, which runs the Wisconsin Plan in Nazareth, is suspected of registering at least 75 participants as full-time workers when the participants actually worked part-time or not at all. Workers from the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor and the National Insurance Institute’s investigations bureau have begun investigating the allegations.
Under the Wisconsin Plan, private companies take responsibility for finding employment for welfare recipients. The companies are paid by the government for each individual welfare recipient who is removed from the welfare list, and employees receive bonuses for each participant who is registered to work.
The suspicions were first revealed by Agam Mehalev itself, after a routine check into workers’ wages revealed inconsistencies. The company is currently negotiating with the state over its continued service, and is hoping to sign a contract in the near future.