THE International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has filed a complaint against the Israeli government for “blatant violations” of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Protection of Wages Convention.

The complaint highlights the obligation of Israeli authorities to redress and remedy a range of abuses, including unpaid wages and withheld benefits for more than 200,000 Palestinian workers employed in Israel.

These abuses have led to millions of dollars of lost income, causing severe financial insecurity, economic distress, deprivation of basic services, and widespread hardship for the affected workers and their families, who have no access to judicial remedies, the ITUC said.

The complaint was signed by nine global unions representing 207 million workers as well as the trade union advisory committee to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

ITUC general secretary Luc Triangle said: “When I visited the West Bank this year, I witnessed the economic destitution experienced by the families of Palestinian workers employed in Israel.

“Working people are enduring the worst of the continuing conflict.

“Through this petition, we want to ensure that the much-needed back pay is paid out to workers who are struggling to make ends meet.”