RAMALLAH: The Secretary-General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), Shaher Saad, said the union will submit a file tomorrow, Thursday, to the International Labor Organization to raise a case demanding the Israeli occupation government to compensate Palestinian workers who have not been unable to access their jobs in the 1948-occupied territories since October 7th, 2023, after Israel terminated their work permits.

Saad explained in an interview with WAFA that the International Federation of Trade Unions has agreed to raise the issue after a recent visit to Palestine where they witnessed firsthand the situation on the ground and held a meeting with the Palestinian leadership.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation authorities banned at least 200 thousand Palestinian workers from accessing their workplaces inside Israel. Additionally, the unemployment rate as a result of the Israeli aggression on Gaza has significantly increased, leaving around 500 thousand people unemployed.

H
e stressed that Israel, the occupying power, is a signatory to the ILO convention and therefore can be forced to compensate Palestinian workers, citing the agreement signed with the General Organization of Workers in Israel, providing for compensation payment for construction workers if they were forced to leave their jobs by the Israeli occupation government or their employers.

Saad pointed out that the case includes a demand to compensate 117,000 workers who have lost at least 4 billion shekels during the war. The compensation in the upcoming phases will also cover all workers who lost their jobs, totaling 225,000, of whom 170,000 have work permits.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA