Last month, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Uri Ariel agreed to allow employers to increase deductions from the wages they pay foreign agriculture workers by 300 shekels ($77.40), reaching 530 shekels a month.
Haaretz has learned that this decision will not be discussed by the Knesset Finance Committee and will be passed in the next budget, with no opportunities for lodging objections.
Following this step, the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv turned to Thailand’s labor ministry with a request that it seek explanations from the Israeli government. The embassy claims it received no updated information regarding the change, which will significantly impact the wages of 20,000 Thai farmhands currently working in Israel.