Southern Israeli Slaughterhouse Cleared of Illegal Youth Labor Charges After Court Ruling

A major slaughterhouse in southern Israel, Ofakim's "Negev Poultry," was acquitted of charges related to employing minors in prohibited work following an appeal at the Regional Labor Court. The case centered on whether the slaughterhouse bore responsibility for the illegal employment of ten youths, who were hired through two subcontractors. Initially, the Labor Court cleared the company, but the state appealed, questioning if the Youth Labor Law also applies to the service requester, not just the direct employer.

The state argued that the law aims to provide broad protection for minors and should not be limited to traditional employer-employee relationships. It contended that the business benefiting from the youths' labor should be considered their employer, even if the work was performed via subcontractors. The state further claimed the law was amended to prevent evasion of responsibility through outsourcing and that the company exercised some control over the facility, including supervision and security, thus should have prevented the illegal employment.

Conversely, the company argued that the legislature deliberately excluded the "service requester" from the employer definition, citing prior bills that included such provisions but were not enacted. It also accused the enforcement authorities of selective prosecution, noting subcontractors were not charged, and revealed that some youths used forged IDs, information withheld during proceedings. The judge noted the state's failure to disclose this information supported the defense's claim of unfair treatment.

Ultimately, the court ruled that the relevant law does not impose criminal liability on the service requester when a direct employer exists. Consequently, the acquittal of the slaughterhouse on all charges was upheld, placing responsibility solely on the subcontractors who directly employed the minors.