An overview of Thai immigration to Israel in 2020, prepared by Kavalofed. thatA labor rights NGO found that 83% of Thai workers are paid less than the legal minimum wage. Many do not have rights guaranteed by law and face unsafe working conditions and difficulty obtaining medical care.
The situation of Thai workers was affected by the fighting between Hamas and the Israeli army. According to the latest State Department report dated October 30, this has been found32 Thais were killed and 19 injured (6 remain hospitalized and 22 detained).
It seems that this number will certainly increase in the future.
Based on this situation, the American Financial Times news agency prepared a news report analyzing the problems of Thai workers. Why do so many Thai workers remain in Israel?
Al Khabar News Agency (www.isranews.org) Therefore, the said report has been submitted with the following details.
Since the 1980s, hundreds of agricultural trainees and volunteers from Thailand have come to Israel. Based on the results of the research of Mr. Matan Kaminer, an anthropologist. It turns out that after the 1987 Palestinian uprising, this caused a special influx of Thai workers to Israel.
There are strategic decisions. “By the Israeli government to replace Palestinian workers with migrant workers from Thailand,” Mr. Kaminer said.
Under pressure from the United States and non-governmental agencies that deal with labor rights issues, the so-called “pipeline” for workers was officially established in 2011, when the two countries signed an acknowledgment of the agreement called the Thai-Israeli Labor Procurement Cooperation Program (TAP).tic) Which was implemented for the first time in 2013
The agreement eliminates the mechanism known as labor brokering from Thailand. Then a fixed recruitment fee was set for the workers. The United Nations International Organization for Migration is responsible for training workers in Thailand. On the Israeli side, the Israeli government has allocated a number of agencies. 13 sites responsible for the recruitment of Thai workers and social care
an agreement tic This will allow Thai citizens to work in Israel for a maximum period of 5 years and 3 months, but the jobs will be in the agricultural sector. In the research of Ms. Nona Kochanerović and Ms.Rebecca Richman, a professor at the University of Haifa in Israel, said the agreement tic The fee charged to Thai people per person can be reduced from US$9,000 per person. The remaining amount is $2,100 per person during 2019
Ms. Kushnerovich said.The share of visas for foreign workers to work in the agricultural sector in Israel is a quarter of the total number of visas for foreign workers.
a jobThe special bilateral agreement means that Israel’s agricultural industry is one of the sectors most dependent on foreign workers.
The Thai workers hid during the attack. (Video reference from Telegraph)
“Nearly 100% of foreign workers in this sector come from Thailand,” Kucirovic said.
In 2020, countries signed a new agreement on tic This Agreement is separate from the Basic Agreement. International Organization for Migration (IOM)International Organization for Migration) But when you delve into the details, agreement is reached tic And the agreement International Organization for Migration It has similar properties
From the research of Ms. Kucherovich and Ms. Regman. It turns out that the majority of Thai workers, more than 84%, come from the northeastern region of Thailand.
“Due to the high rate of poverty in the northeastern region of Thailand, this group of Thai people has become ‘source‘ “Outstanding foreign workers,” the report said, adding that most Thai workers go to Israel for relatively high wages of more than $1,000 a month.
Officials from the Employment Department of the Thai Ministry of Labor, which oversees the training of migrant workers, have named the project ‘Work pipeline‘ This is a bargain. Each side has something to gain.
“Workers can go home with large amounts of baht. They were able to pay off all their debts and build a new home for their family, and this became a social value that everyone wanted.An official from the Employment Department said.
However, there are still cases of abuse of Thai workers in the Israeli agricultural sector.
Aggregate data on Thai immigration to Israel in 2020 was prepared by the Kavlaoved organization. thatA labor rights NGO found that 83% of Thai workers are paid less than the legal minimum wage. Many do not have rights guaranteed by law and face unsafe working conditions and difficulty obtaining medical care.
Human Rights Watch also issued a somewhat alarming report in 2015, as well as a US State Department report that said the treatment of some Thai workers in the agricultural sector in Israel continues, in the form of forced labor.
I found the information thatThere are approximately 5,000 registered Thai workers and 1,000 unregistered workers. People were working in the area near Gaza at the time of the attack on October 7, according to Ms. Jahl. Kurlander is a volunteer who works with the organization. Aid for farm workers It is a group founded to help Thai workers in Israel
“In many areas where workers have been evacuated, they are being pressured to go to work immediately, and in some places employers claim that these workers want to stay,” said an organization that helps create safe havens for foreign workers.
news agency Deutsche Welle Germany presented a news report analyzing why there were such a large number of Thai hostages.
In a post on Ms. Orna Sarkev’s Facebook page (Orna Sagiv) The Israeli ambassador to Thailand promised that Thai workers caught up in Hamas attacks would receive “the same treatment and protection as all people in Israel.”
However, Kaminer, a member of the Workers’ Assistance Volunteers group, said the priority now was to prioritize workers’ well-being. However, Israel’s agricultural sector is concerned about retaining workers.
Mr. Kaminer said that if the response to labor problems is not good, the problem that will arise in the future is that there may be a deterrent for foreign workers coming to Israel. Especially when considering the issue of labor rights violations in Israel.
“Bilateral relations between Israeli employers and migrant workers from Thailand He has been in a difficult situation for many years. This may be another turning point.Mr. Kaminer said.
As for herKurlander, who works as an academic on Thai labor in Israel, continues to look at the world and said that this situation could serve as an incentive to improve the livelihoods of Thai workers. This is because there may be a greater shortage of Palestinian workers in the future. Some Thais were prevented from returning.
“When there is greater demand for labor workers will then be able to ask for more money. They can demand more rights.concluded Ms. Kurlander.
Compiled from:https://www.ft.com/content/9ddbdee8-c566-47b1-b514-b3ad6c45f641