2011 – Implementation of bilateral agreements for migrant workers

In 2011, with the involvement of Israel’s then ambassador to Thailand, Itzhak Shoham, a bilateral agreement was signed between the Thai and Israeli governments to bring agricultural workers to Israel. The agreement paved the way to a series of bilateral agreements with other countries, which regulated the employment of foreign workers in Israel and protected their rights as stipulated in the laws of Israel and international treaties ratified by Israel. The bilateral agreements, under the auspices of PIBA, brought an end to the handling fees that would make workers bound to the agents for years. Through the first agreement with Thailand, CIMI cooperated with the IOM to coordinate the processes of recruitment and transparency, transfer of up-to-date information to the foreign workers, and their reception in Israel. At the same time, work began on a study examining the impact of the agreements over time.