Palestinian settlement workers fall through the cracks - Kieron Monks

Ma'an
...Tens of thousands of laborers are employed in construction of the wall, settlements and the industries around them. Their co-operation does not go unpunished. Despite a 2007 Israeli High Court ruling that gave the same rights to Palestinians working in settlements as Israelis, the reality is still low wages, hazardous conditions and no job security.

The Barkan industrial area is the hub of discontent. It stands not a stone’s throw from Ariel, the largest settlement in the West Bank and home to 30,000. Over 100 companies from around the world are based in Barkan, employing over 6,000 people, more than half of whom are Palestinian. The 2007 ruling had the effect of upping wages to an average of 10 shekels (2.67 US dollars) an hour, but employers have found creative methods of swindling their workforce.

...Accidents are frequent in such dangerous industries as steelwork and construction, with few precautions to prevent them. Sulwa is very familiar with the problem. “Injuries are very common and the victims never receive compensation. We send inquiries to the National Institute of Israel but receive no reply. No one is ever questioned and there is never compensation provided.

... In many cases workers are fired if they are too badly injured to work for a long time.

...A Palestinian woman who has worked for several years in a Barkan textile factory explained why she is there; ““Our village is blocked by Israeli checkpoints making it almost impossible to sell or manufacture anything by ourselves. My husband doesn’t get a working permit to enter Israel. Our farmland where we had our income has been taken by the Israelis. So what choice do we have? My family needs to eat.”

Israel acknowledges that a large part of the industrial zone is built on private Palestinian land, around 14% by PeaceNow statistics.

...Who Profits, an offshoot of the coalition of Women For Peace detail companies from Sweden, the Netherlands, Great Britain and, predictably, the USA, who have a presence in Barkan. Pressure from human rights groups has succeeded in embarrassing the foreign investors exploiting the conditions. Full story