This month we bring several short reports on Palestinians employed in settlements. These reports concern work safety in Barqan, textile workers in Barqan, furniture company workers in Emmanuel, factory workers in Aley Zahav and worker organization in Tamun.

We also report on the precedent setting recognition by Israel's National Insurance Institute of a Palestinian’s work related injury in a settlement.

Recently, some of Kav LaOved’s complaints to authorities turned into criminal convictions. However, as the following report shows, migrant workers’ rights enforcement is generally inadequate.

The result of this inadequate enforcement is victimization of migrant workers. Indian migrant fraud victims ended up in Israeli jail  (see here as well); asylum seekers aren’t getting paid for their work; the head of the Farmer’s Association allegedly uses forced labour, and even in the Caribbean an Israeli company fails to pay its Chinese workers.

On the legal front we report Kav LaOved’s objections to proposed legislation that would prevent victimized migrants and Palestinians from regaining their legal status in Israel, and the State Attorney’s endorsement of Kav LaOved’s court case concerning overtime eligibility of migrant caregivers.

Our last story tells of the mediation process between a migrant worker and his employer conducted in the framework of a new Kav LaOved project meant to reduce reliance on the legal system.

Corporate responsibility is gaining recognition in Israel. However, the following report shows that corporate responsibility does not yet properly incorporate the workers’ point of view.

Next we present an analysis of the poor prospects of regaining pension rights trough court action, and information on the new amendment to the Wage Protection Law, which was initiated by the Forum for the Enforcement of Worker Rights that includes Kav LaOved.

Kav LaOved's 2007 annual report is finally available English.

Airport security detained Kav LaOved’s lawyer Khaled Duhi, a Palestinian Israeli citizen, for refusing to undergo a humiliating security check.