Know Your Rights on Election Day: Holiday Status and Double Pay
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Election day in Israel is a public holiday, granting most workers the right to take the day off with pay. Essential services are exempt, and employees in these sectors may be required to work. While not explicitly mandated by law, working on election day often results in double pay or compensatory time off, based on established practice and court rulings. Non-Israeli workers in specific industries are generally excluded from these holiday benefits.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Election day is a public holiday in Israel, allowing most employees to take the day off with pay.
- Employees who have worked for at least 14 consecutive days are entitled to their regular pay on election day.
- Essential services like transportation and hospitals are exempt from the holiday status and may require employees to work.
- Working on election day often results in double pay or compensatory time off, though not explicitly mandated by law.
- Non-Israeli workers in certain industries are generally not entitled to holiday benefits on election day.
Millions of Israelis are set to vote in the upcoming Knesset elections, with election day designated as a public holiday, or "shabaton." This means most employees are entitled to take the day off without using annual leave. However, certain essential services, including public transportation, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, and communication services, are exempt and will operate as usual.
Employees who have worked for at least 14 consecutive days prior to the election are entitled to their regular pay for election day, even if they do not work. For those employed in sectors that are not exempt from the holiday status, employers cannot compel them to work. If an employee in a non-exempt sector refuses to work on election day, this refusal cannot be grounds for dismissal.
For employees in the exempted sectors, refusing to report to work without justification could be considered a breach of their employment obligations, though dismissal is not automatic and requires a proper procedure. The law does not explicitly mandate double pay for working on election day. However, a widespread practice and court rulings suggest that employees working on this day should receive either 200% of their regular pay or their regular pay plus compensatory time off.
Non-Israeli workers in certain sectors like nursing, hospitality, construction, agriculture, and industry are not entitled to the holiday status and will generally receive regular pay for working. Employees who started working shortly before the election may be entitled to the holiday status if it applies to their workplace, but if they haven't completed the required 14 consecutive workdays, they might not be paid for their absence.
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