Double pay, vacation days, and who must show up: Everything you need to know about working on Election Day
Ahead of Election Day, Globes publishes a comprehensive guide to employee and employer rights and obligations on the day off. The guide is based on a directive from the Commissioner of Labor Relations and the interpretation of an expert attorney, detailing who must come to work, who is entitled to double pay, and what employers are prohibited from doing.
Ahead of Election Day, which will take place tomorrow (Tuesday), Globes publishes a Q&A guide summarizing employee rights and employer obligations on the day off. The Chief Commissioner of Labor Relations, Adv. Rivka Varner, issued a directive stating that Election Day is a paid day off at the employer's expense, except for public services that will operate as usual. Adv. Idan Peper, a partner at Goldfarb Gross Seligman, explains that employing workers on Election Day requires their consent, except for services determined by the Central Elections Committee, such as transportation, communications, restaurants, and cafes. The employer is obligated to allow employees to vote, but not necessarily during their shift. Eligibility for payment is conditional on employment for at least 14 consecutive days before the elections. Despite the well-known practice of paying 200%, the law does not explicitly stipulate this, and labor courts are divided on the issue. Workers who are not citizens in the nursing, hotel, catering, construction, agriculture, and industry sectors are subject to a special arrangement. The employer may not deduct a vacation day due to the elections and cannot inquire about employees' voting intentions.