Last update - 00:00 28/11/2006
Security firm denies allegations of workers' rights violations
By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent
The Hashmira security company participated in a Justice Ministry committee hearing Monday in response to a request by the Kav La'Oved workers' advocacy group and MK Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) that the company's license be revoked because the company allegedly violated its employees' rights.
The request was part of Kav La'Oved's efforts to ensure that subcontracted workers are legally entitled to access commercial contracts related to their employment conditions, so that they know if these conditions are being upheld.
Companies like cleaning and security firms generally sign such contracts with their customers, which may include government agencies. Under one such contract, security company Modi'in Ezrahi agreed to compensate employees who left, but employees were not aware of this clause and the company failed to uphold it.
Hashmira dismissed the allegation in Monday's hearing, accusing Kav La'Oved of chasing headlines. It described what it does for its workers and sharply criticized the government for its unwillingness to set a larger security budget that would enable employees to receive sufficient remuneration.
In order to do this, Hashmira said the government would need to pay an additional NIS 400 million on security annually.
But the hearing is not the only step that workers' advocates are taking.
Kav La'Oved attorney Eran Golan filed an appeal request with the national labor court last week in a bid to reverse a lower-court decision that Hashmira is not obligated to divulge the details of its contracts, and may decide for itself which documents are relevant to a lawsuit filed against it by Golan's client, a Hashmira ex-employee.
That employee worked as a security guard for the company between 2003 and 2005, and is suing for NIS 80,000 in vacation and sick pay he said he never received, and pension money he said was never set aside for him.
The worker also said he was never properly informed of the conditions of his employment or its termination.
Hashmira said the worker was informed of the conditions, but that the document has disappeared from his file.
Golan wants the labor court to require Hashmira to disclose its contracts with Hewlett Packard and Israel Aircraft Industries, where his client worked as a security guard.
Also last week, MK Dov Khenin submitted a bill that would enable workers to receive the contract that describes their employment conditions.