The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, with the support of international labor unions, intends to sue Israel for compensation on behalf of Palestinian Authority Arab workers who lost their jobs in Israel since October 7, 2023, when Hamas and civilian Arabs infiltrated Israel en mass and brutally tortured, massacred, and dismembered Israeli men, women, children, and infants.
The petition to the International Labour Organization (ILO) focuses on the right to wages and the protection of workers' social rights in accordance with binding international conventions and agreements.
Shaher Saad, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Workers Union, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the situation of workers who lost their jobs in Israel is particularly dire, as the Palestinian Authority is unable to provide them with an economic safety net and is even struggling to pay its employees' salaries.
According to Saad, the total wages of Palestinian Authority Arab workers in Israel are estimated at about 1.35 billion shekels per month, an amount greater than the total wages of both government and private sector employees combined, thus having a crucial impact on the Palestinian Authority's economy.
Saad stated that in light of these figures, the Federation intends to demand compensation from Israel amounting to approximately $9 billion for the 225,000 Palestinian Authority Arab workers who lost their jobs since the war broke out. This includes direct wage losses and unpaid social rights accumulated over months of disruption to the Palestinian Authority Arab labor market in Israel.