The Ministry of Labor conducted a large-scale enforcement operation this week in the 'Big Fashion Glilot' shopping complex, looking for businesses operating illegally and employing Jewish workers on the day of rest.
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The ministry announced that enforcement operations will be intensified and expanded, and that businesses that operate in violation of the law and employ Jewish workers without a permit will face significant fines, totaling 41,130 NIS per business.
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At the same time, following a repeat inspection at the Shevat HaKokhavim mall in Herzliya, financial sanctions totaling 280,000 shekels were imposed on Millennium Marketing Intertrade Ltd. - an import and marketing company for housewares and kitchenware. This was for working on the weekly day of rest in violation of the law, and for failing to pay payments in violation of the pension extension order.
After formulating the findings from the investigation file and the decision of the Ministry of Labor's sanctions officer, the company filed an appeal against the sanction given to it to the Appeals Committee, which considered the company's claims and ruled that the sanctions imposed on the company should not be canceled.
One of the company's claims in its appeal to the Appeals Committee was that the prohibition of trading on Shabbat violates the Basic Law on Freedom of Occupation, and it also claimed that the store in the mall meets the definitions of a restaurant - in addition to being a store selling cooking and baking products.
However, in light of the evidence in the investigation file, the claims were rejected.
The employer also claimed that some of the employees refused to declare their religion and therefore prevented it from complying with the law. In this regard, the committee agreed with the position of the Sanctions Officer of the Regulation and Enforcement Administration and determined that the company's claims regarding the employees' refusal to declare their religion and their weekly day of rest, or regarding the employees' compensation for their work, cannot be accepted.
The committee's position is that the employer is obligated to inquire about the employee's religion and his weekly day of rest; if the employer fails to do so, he exposes himself to a violation of the Working Hours and Weekly Rest Law.
Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Zur said: "Trampling on the law with the encouragement of public figures is zero statesmanship. My policy is clear, zero tolerance towards law-breaking employers who violated workers' rights and also employed Jewish workers legally on the day of rest. The Labor Ministry will increase supervision and fine all businesses that operate in violation of the law.".
Yisrael Beiteinu Party Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman responded: "Minister Ben-Tzur is fighting businesses in secular areas that are open on Shabbat. We will continue to fight for the simple principle: Live and let live."
