Workers from Philippines pay $4,257 to work in Israel

Foreign workers from the Philippines who enter Israel to work pay an average commission fee of $4,257, according to a study by the Kav La'Oved organization for disadvantaged workers.

Most of the commission fees, which are collected illegally, find their way to manpower companies in Israel, the organization said.

One hundred laborers from the Philippines who are employed in Israel were included in the study, which was conducted in cooperation with the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA).

The groups found that just $1,928 of the total fee is paid in the Philippines and that the workers are asked to pay the additional $2,375 in Israel.

Some 90.5 percent of those questioned said that they had had to take out loans to pay these fees.

About 20 percent of respondents took out loans with a monthly interest rate of 5-10 percent, and about a third of all respondents committed to monthly interest rates of 10 percent or more.

The rest of those questioned took out interest-free loans from friends or family members.

Kav La'Oved says that their research also showed that the workers have to pay the lender an average of 7.5 paychecks in order to cover their loans.

The study further indicates that salaries paid to those working in nursing, a field which employs many foreign workers from the Philippines, are below minimum wage.

The data shows that caregivers earn an average salary of $584, and receive an additional NIS 70-100 in pocket money each week.

Kav La'Oved says these wages are significantly lower than the minimum wage set by the National Labor Court for "around the clock" employment, and even lower than the minimum wage for full-time employment.

The study indicates that 87.8 percent of respondents received work contracts in the Philippines detailing the conditions of their employment in Israel, but 60.7 percent of all respondents reported that actual working conditions were worse than those promised to them in the Philippines.