We all need a helping hand and we all try to get the best help we can for the best price. But sometimes this may cost us much more if we don’t follow the law. Any “Ozeret Bait” (maid or cleaning lady) is entitled to all labor rights every other worker is entitled to.
Who is Considered a “Household Worker”
Any worker employed in jobs related to home maintenance or home care in the family is considered a household worker.
These jobs include child care, cleaning stairwells, cooking, laundry and more. For every person working in the household, the employer must declare the employee to the National Insurance Institute within two weeks of employment and pay for him/her: Social Security (Bituach Leumi) and Health Insurance (Kupat Holim).
The Worker and Basic Obligations
A housekeeper (maid, cleaning lady, etc.) has the same rights as any other employee in Israel, including all of the rights considered by mistake as “extra salary”.
These rights are not optional but obligations toward the employee.
As the salary must be paid on a regular basis until the 10th of every month (can be paid before but not after), the extras must be paid also in a certain period of time.
Because home workers don’t receive a pay slip, the employer and the employee should keep some kind of written record of every payment made, with no exceptions, in order to safeguard the interests of both sides.
Pension
Pension (any type of fund) is one of the fundamental rights of each employee, and its purpose is to offer an economic support to provide some sort of social security.
As of January 2008, a new law entered into force in order to expand the mandatory pension agreement in Israel and it requires every employer to set aside pension payments for each employee, including household employees.
Pension applies to men and women as follows:
- Women aged 20 until reaching retirement age by law.
- Men aged 21 until reaching retirement age by law.
- Any worker, who began working after the date of 01.01.2008, within 60 days after beginning to work.
- Any employee who was employed from before 1.1.2008 and was already working in the same place for at least 9 months.
- As of 1.1.2009: Each employee who completed six months of employment is entitled to pension.
