Israel Signs Historic Collective Agreement for Enforcement and Foreign Workers Authority Staff

The Histadrut labor federation, the Population and Immigration Authority, and the Treasury's Wage Commissioner have signed a groundbreaking collective agreement for administrative, enforcement, and foreign worker staff at the Population and Immigration Authority. This marks the first such agreement for these administrative employees, concluding years of negotiations and addressing comprehensive issues of salary, professional advancement, welfare, and employment conditions.

The agreement, valid for six years, covers approximately 300 administrative employees. It facilitates the transition of dozens of workers previously employed under individual contracts to the collective agreement, granting them enhanced benefits and job security. The pact includes improved salary scales, career advancement opportunities, and the application of all public sector salary increments and benefits.

Additionally, the agreement introduces unique salary components tailored to the nature of the employees' work, such as bonuses for availability, on-call duty, enforcement tasks, operational field activities, and processing asylum and status regularization applications. It also establishes signing bonuses, a professional knowledge fund, expanded professional development options, and integration into state employee union professional associations.

The agreement is deemed to have significant public and national importance, as these employees are responsible for enforcing immigration and labor laws, crucial for maintaining public order, the rule of law, and a fair labor market. Their work combats illegal employment of foreign workers, protects the rights of legal workers and employers, and addresses Israel's labor force challenges. The pact aims to upgrade the status of these essential state employees, thereby aiding in the recruitment and retention of skilled personnel and strengthening national enforcement capabilities and public services.

Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David hailed the agreement as historic, noting it provides a framework for employees who were previously without a collective agreement for 14 years. Population and Immigration Authority Director-General Boaz Yosef emphasized the difficult and often dangerous nature of the enforcement work, stating the agreement reflects the necessary salary levels to compete with the private sector and attract qualified staff. State Employees Union Chairman Adv. Ofir Alkalai called it a historic day, establishing a new profession with good conditions after 11 years of unionization efforts.