Palestinian Labour Law

Partners for Change
Bethlehem, May 21-23 2008
Palestinian Labour Law No.7

& Worker’s Rights
Background
• Labour Law No. 7 was ratified in 2000 and replaced the 1960 Jordanian Labour Law in the West Bank and
the 1964 Egyptian Labour Law in the Gaza Strip.
• It was drafted in line with Arab Labour Organization (ALO) and International Labour Organization (ILO)
standards.
Labour Law No. 7 2. Employment, Occupational Training and

“Work is a right for each citizen who is capable Guidance:
thereof. The Palestinian National Authority shall • Requires employers to submit to the Ministry
provide it on the basis of equal opportunities and of Labour (MoL) on a monthly basis various
without any kind of discrimination whatsoever.” demographic data on its employees;
Article 2, Labour Law No. 7 • Requires employment of qualified disabled
workers to be no less than 5% of the staff;
Labour Law No. 7 is organized into 10 sections
• Allows the MoL to grant licenses to work to
covering a number of issues. non-Palestinians; and
Below is a brief summary of each section: • Prohibits discrimination in the circumstances
and conditions of work between workers.
1. General Provisions and Principles section:
• Occupational Training and Guidance instructs
• Makes work a right for each work-able citizen; the MoL to establish and regulate training and
• Exempts workers from judicial fees accrued guidance that safeguards the principle of equal
from work-related disputes; opportunity.
• Permits unionization; and 3. The Individual Work Contract section covers the
• Excludes from the provisions of the Labour various methods of agreement, the composition
Law No. 7 government functionaries, domestic of the contract, its duration, expiration and
servants, and up-to first-degree family members termination.
of the employer. 4. Collective Labour Relations are summarized in
the Labour Unions section below.
5. Requirements and Conditions of Work section
covers working hours and weekly holidays, leave,
salaries and occupational safety and health.
W W W . P I C - P A L E S T I N E . P S
Palestinian Labour Law No.7 & Worker’s Rights
6. Regulation of the Work of Minors Inspection
(from 15 to 18 years old) section: • The Ministry of Labour’s (MoL) Inspection and
• Prohibits employment of children below the Protection Administration is responsible for
age of fifteen; insuring adherence to the Labour Law No. 7 in
• Narrows the type of work minors can perform, the work place.
for example, dangerous work; and • Currently there are around 40 inspectors in the
• Makes adjustments to several provisions above West Bank and around 30 in the Gaza Strip. They
in order to provide minors with a greater level visit a minimum of 40 establishments per month,
of protection. in every district, checking workplace health and
safety conditions.
7. Regulation of the Work of Women section
• Prohibits gender-based discrimination; Impact
• Narrows the type of work women can perform, • Managed to bring worker’s rights closer in line
for example, dangerous or strenuous work. with international standards;
• Makes adjustments to several provisions in order
• Empowered employees to take up a larger variety
to assist women before and after pregnancy. of issues with a responsive authority; and
8. The Labour Inspection section authorizes
• Is relatively flexible, providing employers with
members of The Commission of Labour Inspection
significant flexibility to hire and fire workers, even
to enter the workplace, make inquiries with
more so than in some neighbouring countries.
employers and/or workers, view and take copies of
what pertains to the condition of work, take samples
of used materials and issue orders and directives. Labour Unions
9. Work Injuries and Occupational Diseases • The history of Palestinian labour unions goes
section describes what is required from the employer back to the 1920s;
upon the occurrence of a work injury or death. • The Labour Law No. 7 in the Collective Labour
10. Penalties and Conclusive Provisions Relations section covers collective negotiation,
section describes the occasion for and the type of collective labour agreement, the settlement of
penalties. collective labour disputes and regulation of strikes
and lockouts;
The Labour Law No. 7 is supplemented with
about 30 bylaws that were ratified during 2003, • There is a newly-drafted law awaiting the
2004, 2005 and 2006. The bylaws cover a broad Palestinian President’s approval that provides
range of issues, concerning: a regulatory framework for the many unions
existing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and
• Special protection and regulation on work for
• A large number of workers maintain a membership
minors, women and seasonal workers.
with a union, with unions regularly and actively
• Protective safety and health standards and conditions engaging in resolving employee-employer disputes.
in the workplace, including periodical medical check-
ups, on-location first-aid equipment, etc. An Arabic and/or English version of the Labour
Law No. 7 may be acquired upon request from the
• General regulations regarding working hours Ministry of Labour.
and extra work and specific regulation regarding
dangerous and harmful-to-health work and work
during religious and official holidays.
Supported by
This paper was prepared by the Palestinian Economic Policy Institute (Mas) on behalf of the Palestine Investment Conference.

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Partners for Change

Bethlehem, May 21-23 2008

Palestinian Labour Law No.7

Labour Law No. 7 2. Employment, Occupational Training and

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