TULKARM, West Bank (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Palestinians working in Israel staged a one-day strike on Sunday to protest a decision to pay their wages into bank accounts rather than cash. The new payment method was agreed between the Palestinian and Israeli authorities, seeking a more efficient and secure way to pay wages, but workers fear hidden fees and new taxes will reduce their wages. About 200,000 Palestinians pass each day into Israel or Jewish settlements for work, earning on average more than twice as much as those employed by Palestinian state agencies and businesses. Most of the workers don’t have bank accounts, and putting their wages on the books would create a new source of revenue for the financially strapped Palestinian Authority (PA), while incurring windfall service fees for Palestinian banks. Under the agreement, wages will be paid weekly with bank fees set at $1 per remittance, according to a number of workers who spoke to Reuters. Palestinian Labor Minister Nasri Abu Jais said the new regulation was intended to protect workers’ rights and that there was no plan to impose new taxes. An Israeli Defense Ministry official said the measure would allow for an adjustment period until it takes full effect on January 1. reduction of black money”. The Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is responsible for about 150,000 public sector jobs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Its budget was $330 million for 2021 and it relies heavily on foreign donors. Mohammad Khaseeb, 43, who works at an aluminum factory in Israel, said he and thousands of others were protesting a decision he said was made without taking workers’ views into account. “They decided without consulting the workers’ union. Either a worker agrees or he loses his work permit,” Khaseeb said. The story continues Bassim Al-Waheidi, a 55-year-old construction worker, said that apart from losing money from bank fees and taxes, there was concern about other deductions. “We refuse to transfer our salaries to the Palestinian Authority banks because we fear the future and there is a crisis of confidence,” Waheidi said. The workers’ representatives said that if the decision is not annulled they will escalate their protest and may go on strike indefinitely. (Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
