Participants:

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Professor Rivka Raijman, Haifa University

 

Dr. Nonna Kushnirovich, Ruppin Academy

 

Hanny Ben Israel, Instructor - Refugee and Migrants Rights Clinic, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and TraffLab Research Fellow

 

Adv. Shoshana Strauss, Senior Deputy to the Legal Adviser of the Population and Immigration Authority

Summary

 

The power imbalance between the employer and employee and, in particular, the weaker bargaining position of the employee in relation to the employer are among the basic assumptions of labor law.  This premise requires closer examination in relation to the employment of in-home care workers by dependent elderly. Employers of migrant care workers often describe their situation as one of someone who has been “stuck” in the status of an employer by necessity, and not out of volition. Their family and economic situation often does not allow for an alternative other than to employ a  care worker, and the state offers hardly any other solutions to obtain quality individualized care.

Moreover, many people who are entitled to long-term care hours from the state find themselves in a particularly complex employment format, as joint employers together with the long-term care placement companies. In this sensitive area, both the employers and the workers find themselves in need of assistance on various issues related to the employment, as well as explanations in the areas of workers’ and patients’ rights.  Experience in the field has demonstrated the existence of a real need for information and assistance to the patient-employers and their families.  This understanding led to the foundation of the hotline, which is operated by the Workers’ Rights Clinic.

This evening seminar will present initial findings raised from inquiries to the hotline, followed by a roundtable discussion which will address from various perspectives on the issue and the challenges facing long-term care patients.