Parents Face Financial Strain as School Closures Drain Vacation Days
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli parents were forced to stay home from work to care for their children during the "Lion's Roar" operation and subsequent school closures. This widespread absence, particularly when workplaces were secured, led to significant financial strain as many employees exhausted their accumulated vacation days or went into negative vacation balances. Data from "Okets Systems" analyzing over 9,900 pay slips in July revealed that 53.7% of employees had no remaining vacation days.
The government's unpaid leave (חל"ת) framework, approved retroactively from February 28, 2026, initially required at least 10 consecutive days of unpaid leave, later reduced to five. This framework was intended for those placed on unpaid leave, not to cover all absences due to security situations. While employers could, under vacation laws, deduct absences from accumulated vacation days to prevent immediate salary loss, the situation left many parents without paid time off.
In the public sector, agreements were reached between the Histadrut labor union and the Treasury's wage commissioner. These agreements allowed employers to contribute to salary payments for absences between February 28 and March 31, 2026, with remaining days deducted from vacation balances, and the possibility of negative vacation balances up to a certain limit. However, employers generally cannot force employees into negative vacation balances without consent.
The situation highlighted a loophole in existing labor laws. While parents are protected from dismissal during such emergencies, they often receive no salary and are not eligible for unemployment benefits. The use of negative vacation balances, while a technical solution, effectively transfers the cost of these mandated absences to the employee, as vacation days have monetary value.
Furthermore, the article notes an increase in the use of sick days by parents. In July, there was a 15% rise in sick day utilization among parents compared to the previous five-year average, likely due to depleted vacation time. Chaim Molcho, CEO of Okets Systems, stressed the need for systemic solutions, including establishing a specific unpaid leave category for parents, regulating negative vacation balances via decree, and providing employers with compensation for pension contributions during emergency absences. He also called for a government compensation mechanism for parents affected by school closures.
