A law proposed by MKs Haim Katz (Likud), Marina Solodkin (Kadima), and Shelly Yechimovich (Labor), would require employers to inform workers in writing of the conditions of their employment within one month of starting work. Employers who fail to do so could be find between NIS 15,000 and 30,000.
The law was approved Thursday by the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health committee for its first reading. According to the law, employers who do not provide workers with a full list of their duties, obligations, salary and benefits in writing within 30 days of starting employment could be fined NIS 15,000. Employers with four violations over 30 months or more would have to pay NIS 30,000 per incident.
During the committee discussion of the law, Katz said that the law was drastically needed. “According to statistics, 92% of employers are in violation of this. The right of workers to receive this information is already integrated into Israel.“ The new law would place the burden of proof on employers, who would have to prove in any lawsuit filed by an employee that they indeed complied with the law, by showing that the employee signed a document indicating that s/he had been given the information, etc.
“This law ensures a worker's right to information,” said Yechimovich. “The law requires that information about workers' rights and responsibilities is given over to them clearly, so that each side knows what is expected from the other,” she added.