Please find the full legal update here (Hebrew)
Amendment to the Employment of Women Law
On March 21, 2017 the Knesset approved Amendment number 56 to the Employment of Women Law, 5714-1954 (hereinafter – the “Employment of Women Law”. The amendment came into force on March 30, 2017 (the “Amendment”) and it relates to Section 7(c)(3) of the Employment of Women Law.
The Amendment sets clear criteria, compared to those that existed until now, with regard to the eligibility of women and their spouses to a shortened work day in the period following the return from parental leave.
Until now, the law established, among other things, that an employee was entitled to be absent for one hour a day from her employment, “the parental hour”, for the first four months following the end of the period of parental leave, on condition that she is employed in a full-time position.
Under the law, if certain conditions are satisfied, a male employee who is “employed in a full-time position” is entitled to exercise the parental hour alone or alternately with his spouse.
The law conditions the entitlement to be absent as described above on having a full-time position however, the law does not define full-time position.
The Amendment to the law defines “full-time position” for the purpose of exercising the parental hour right, as the lower of what is accepted in the employee’s workplace or at least 174 hours per month for the woman or her spouse.
The Amendment is preferential women and their spouses because in general full-time employment in Israel amounts to 186 work hours per month. The Amendment will also apply retroactively to employees for who the four months from the end of the parental leave has not yet passed.
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On March 21, 2017, the Knesset approved Amendment number 57 to the Employment of Women Law. The Amendment came into force on April 2, 2017.
Under the Amendment the period of paid maternity and parental leave was extended from a period of 14 weeks to a period of 15 weeks.
In addition, it was established that a spouse of a woman who gave birth, subject to the provisions in the law, can divide the maternity and parental leave period for a minimum period of one week, and not three weeks as the law mandated until now.
Further, the Amendment established that a man whose wife is independently employed and who is entitled to a maternity allowance, will be entitled to split the maternity and parental leave period, similar to the entitlement of a spouse whose wife is a salaried worker.
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Amendment to the Law of the Right to Sit in Employment
On March 21, 2017, the Knesset approved Amendment number 3 to the Law of the Right to Sit in Employment 5777-2017 (hereinafter – “Right to Sit in Employment Law”). The law entered into force on April 3, 2017.
The Amendment changed the name of the law to be called: “The Right to Sit in Employment Law and in Suitable Conditions.”
The Amendment also applies to security workers and is meant to ensure suitable physical conditions for guards and security personnel in the workplace. To this end, the Amendment establishes that an employer of a security guard will be required to make available for the employee’s use a covered or shaded 3 area that provides protection from rain and sun, as well as heating and cooling facilities in accordance with the seasons.
In addition, the employer is required to provide the security employee a post that is part of a structure or next to it or no farther that 25 meters from an electricity outlet – heating or cooling facilities.
The security employee will be entitled to use the post during his employment hours, except if security requirements do not allow.
The employer will also be required to allow the security guard access to the electricity outlet and water at the workplace, to allocate space where the security guard can place his personal belongings and to make appropriate arrangements that will allow the security guard to use these facilities.
This Amendment applies as relevant also to security guards employed by Service companies and Manpower companies.
Please find the full legal update here (English)
For further information please feel free to contact:
Adv. Shai Teken | steken@fbclawyers.com | +972.3.6069656
Adv. Moran Friedman | mfriedman@fbclawyers.com | +972.3.6069656
