The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor rejects allegations contained in yesterday’s petition to the High Court of Justice by the Manufacturers Association of Israel.
The ministry said, “The government’s policy is to reduce the number of foreign workers, and replace them with Israelis. 1,700 foreign workers are currently employed in Israeli industry in jobs like welder and locksmith, while many Israelis cannot make a living.
”Because there is a supply of available foreign workers willing to work many hours in these trades at low wages in poor conditions, employers have no incentive to raise salaries for workers in these complex professions to a level that will attract unemployed Israelis to such jobs.
”The salaries that have been set for foreigners are designed for the employment of foreign specialists whom Israelis cannot replace, at levels that reflect their qualifications. Before 2006, in order to accommodate the manufacturers, the ministry initiated an amendment to the government decision. The salary will be NIS 6,000 in the first half of 2006, instead of NIS 10,000 in the original decision, rising to NIS 8,000 in the second half.
”At the same time, a joint plan was formulated by the ministry’s professional training division and the Manufacturers Association for adapting professional training to industrial needs. Some employers cooperated, and appropriate training courses were opened. Others, however, ignored the plan, and preferred to continue employing foreigners at low wages, while petitioning the High Court of Justice against the government decision on wages.
”A few weeks ago, the ministry granted a Manufacturers Association request to conduct independent training for a number of professions. The ministry expressed willingness to allocate NIS 10 million for this training. The plan was not implemented, however, because the employers and manufacturers were unwilling to agree that no more permits would be issued to foreign workers in industry, starting in 2007.”
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 26, 2006