The CEO of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor recently mentioned a dilemma which characterizes the Ministry’s work: “Does our will to encourage the economy fit in with our will to protect workers?” Even raising the question signifies a mindset that perceives a conflict between encouraging growth and the protection of workers’ rights. This mindset is suitable in countries whose economies are focused on providing cheap labor, rather than being ‘knowledge based’ and revolving around quality and sophistication.
Contrary to this mindset, the flexicurity approach suggests an alternative in which protecting labor and encouraging the economy go hand in hand. This approach relies mainly on an ongoing improvement in workers’ employability and, as a result, on an improvement of their productivity.
A zero-sum game approach may encourage growth, but without focusing on suitable working conditions for workers, Israel will be unable to achieve a leapfrog in its quality of life that includes both high growth and inclusiveness.
General
Amit Granek
Yuval Holtzmann
Ronit Gudes
Gidi Grinstein
Gaddy Weissman
Calev Ben Dor
Yossi Horesh
Dana Preisler
Omri Dagan
Eran Shayshon
Liran Bainvol
Merav Pick
Noa Ecker
Netaly Ophir
Yariv Mann
Reut Institute
Omri Zegen
Yael Weisz
Toni Hasson
Talia Gorodess
Gil Murciano
Anat Horowitz
Abed Assli
Daphna Kaufman
Shay Gurion
Elad Leshem
Aliza Petrack
Jessica Brandt
Yael Brendel
Martin Ben Moreh
yotamhacohen
Jeremy Fischer
Eden Gallanter
That a state that was born by people who were dispossessed of everything should now have to worry about profit or worker’s rights is a travesty of what labor zionism was all about. People first; profits second was the watchword. Now there is not only a tension between the two but there is a perceived contradiction. If you place worker’s first profits suffer. If you place profits first, workers suffer.
Israel, like every other country, has to decide whether or not unfettered capitalism is to run our lives and drain the spirit out of our work. Or, what labor zionists always believed, that only a society which puts workers needs first can not only survive but prosper.