Indians applying for jobs in Israel will not be eligible for any social protections that the Union government offers to workers going abroad to conflict zones, The Hindu reported on Monday.
Citing official promotional documents, the newspaper reported that the workers will not receive medical coverage or employment guarantees, protections that the government offers to Indians going to most Gulf nations for employment.
At least two states – Uttar Pradesh and Haryana – have invited applications from workers for jobs in Israel in the coming months. This follows an agreement between New Delhi and Tel Aviv in May to allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in Israel in the construction and nursing sectors.
In December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which the leaders discussed “advancing the arrival of foreign workers from India to the State of Israel”.
Following this, the External Affairs Ministry said that India has not discussed with Israel the possibility of Indian workers replacing Palestinian labourers in the West Asian nation.
However, the National Skills Development Corporation issued a detailed document calling for workers soon after, according to The Hindu.
The document refers to the job call as a “passport to dreams abroad” and an opportunity to “discover new horizons in Israel”, the newspaper reported. It has listed 2,000 openings for plastering workers, 2,000 for ceramic tile workers and 3,000 each for iron bending and frame workers.
The monthly salaries for the workers will be approximately 6,100 Israeli shekels, or Rs 1.37 lakh. The costs for accommodation, food and medical insurance will be deducted from the salary.
The workers will also have to purchase their own tickets to travel to Israel and pay Rs 10,000 to the National Skill Development Corporation as “facilitation fees”, The Hindu reported.
Additionally, those travelling to Israel for work will not be able to register on the External Affairs Ministry’s e-Migrate portal, which was introduced by the Centre in 2015 to streamline guarantees for workers, The Hindu quoted an unidentified official as saying.
Currently, passports issued under the Emigration Check Required category cover workers travelling to 18 countries – Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Citizens with passports under the category who intend to take up employment in these countries have to obtain clearance from the Protector of Emigrants office.
This comes at a time when nearly 80 to 100 foreign workers have been killed in the October 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel and the war that followed.
Israel’s war on Gaza has entered its fourth month, with the toll in Palestine crossing 24,000.
In view of this, the All India Trade Union Congress has stated that they are concerned about the safety of workers who would be heading to Israel and are planning to approach the courts against it.
“This step is against Indian ethos,” Amarjeet Kaur, the trade union’s general secretary, told The Hindu. “We are for a ceasefire in Israel.”
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