The right to work sitting down

The “right to work sitting down” law (April 2007) specifies that anywhere that work can be done sitting down; the employer must supply employees with a place to sit. The law also mandates that employers must supply their employees with a place to sit during breaks. The law also specifies the type of seat the employer must provide;
The seat must:
a. Have a backrest for support.
b. It must be fit for use for the shape and size of the employee.
c. Must be suitable for the type of work being done by the employee
d. If the employee cannot rest his feet comfortably, the employer needs to supply a footrest, as well.

The employer is obligated to provide seating for employees who are on breaks, in sufficient amount for all and in good condition for use (to sit during breaks).

The law applies to actual employers as well as employers via manpower agencies by actual employers.

Violation of this law is subject to a penalty, awarded by the court, of up to 20,000 sh and in cases of severe violation up to 200,000 sh without a need to prove damages. Any suits regarding this law will be handled by the labor court, in a civil suit.

The right to sue an employer for violation of this law is given to the employee, a representing worker’s union that exists in the place of employment, or if such union doesn’t exist at the place of employment, a sectorial representing worker’s union or a worker’s union that the employee is a member of, or any entity that deals with employee’s rights, under the condition that the employee has given his consent.

The court may issue an order to the employer to correct the violation by a certain date.

Note: the above is not a translation of the law, nor is it a translation of the pamphlet published by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment’s work relations department, but rather an explanation in the author’s own words.
The pamphlet is available in Hebrew, in PDF format, on the Ministry’s website:

The work relations department can be reached as follows:

Jerusalem 02-666-7922
Tel-Aviv 03-512-5393
Haifa 04-863-1055
Be’er Sheva 08-626-4750