Shaher Saad, Secretary-General of the Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions, said that the impact caused by the recent measures to deal with the Corona virus on Palestinian workers in the occupied territories, will in turn affect the Palestinian economy in a catastrophic manner, as it depends on approximately 40% on the income of workers who operate within the Green Line .
Saad said in an interview with Radio “Raya” during a meeting regarding “Your Right to the Law” program with the lawyer Raed Zarf, that these workers are marching to death by going to “Israel” where the epidemic is spreading more than is the case in Palestine.
They are also exposed to risks by mingling with large number of people who are exposed to infection, whether on the border crossing during their entry and exit, or inside “Israel”, stressing that everyone must join hands to find solutions that would compensate these workers so that they wont go to their work at this stage at least.
For his part, Munir Qilibu, representative of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Palestine, expressed his concern about the conditions of Palestinian workers working in “Israeli settlements” and within the Green Line, who are flocking to the border crossings as well as their intention to stay inside Israel for a period that may extend for several weeks in light of the spread of Corona.
In his interview with Raya, Qalibu affirmed that “Israel” has an interest in the survival of these workers within the Green Line, as more than 65% of these workers are working in building and construction works, which is the most vulnerable business, indicating that about 170.000 Palestinian workers go to “Israel” on a daily, while the Palestinian Ministry of Labor grants permissions to about 85.000 workers only.
#Palestine #COVID19 #SafetyConcerns #Workers
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