The former caretaker of the Prime Minister’s Residence, Meni Naftali, was awarded compensation of NIS 155,000 on Wednesday by Jerusalem Labor Court Judge Dita Pruginin. Naftali will also receive NIS 15,000 to cover his legal expenses, bringing the total damages to NIS 170,000.
The Labor Court ruled for the former caretaker in his suit against the Prime Minister’s Residence, determining he was “exposed to intolerable working conditions.” Naftali claimed in the suit that Sara Netanyahu’s attitude towards the employees of the residence was insulting and humiliating.
In her verdict, Judge Pruginin said Sara Netanyahu’s claims of Naftali’s alleged improper behavior to other employees were not “backed by a shred of evidence.”
The judge criticized the prime minister’s wife, saying, “It is regrettable that Mrs. Netanyahu chose to severely slander former employees of the Prime Minister’s Residence, without these claims being backed by the minimal amount of evidence in the material presented to us.”
The verdict further stressed the Prime Minister’s Residence should be a paragon of worker’s rights and maintain a respectful work environment with appreciation for employees, unlike the “picture painted in the proceedings.”
Naftali also claimed in his suit that Ezra Saidoff the deputy director general of material and operational resources promised him a permanent position as caretaker. Naftali claims it constituted an administrative promise which was broken.
The court rejected the claim as Saidoff was not authorized to provide such an assurance, and it is not possible to implement a decision undertaken without the proper authority. However, the court did accept the plaintiff’s claim that he was misled to believe he would receive the position.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 11, 2016
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