pinoynepal: Foreign farm workers treated harshly

Shalom - Namaste

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"Namaste," the Nepali youngster said to his compatriot, Priya Sharam Chitrakar, who was sitting on a bench in South Tel Aviv's Levinsky Park, next to two young Israelis. The three had been going over a document detailing workers' rights, which they translated into Nepali. Chitrakar was correcting spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Philippinies in history

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The Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. It has a rich history combining Asian, European, and American influences. Prior to Spanish colonization in 1521, the Filipinos had a rich culture and were trading with the Chinese and the Japanese. Spain's colonization brought about the construction of Intramuros in 1571, a "Walled City" comprised of European buildings

Nepal culture

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Nepal CultureNepal is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Culture has been called 'the way of life for an entire society'. The statement holds particularly true in case of Nepal where every aspect of life, food, clothing and even occupations are culturally classified. In a society so feudalistic and so fractured across class lines, cultural heritage comes as a fresh wind. The culture of Nepal

Philipino culture custom traditions

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The Filipino people is rich in customs and traditions. Many of these are in connection with their family life such as DATING, MARRIAGE and BURIAL, RELIGIOUS and many more........ABOUT DATINGWomen during the Spanish regime were generally shy, refined and inhibited. Their behavior was strictly monitored by the family to maintain their good reputation. A girl was not seen alone with a man; he did

Nepal Festivals

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Nepal is not only the land of mountains; it is also the land of festivals. There are more than 50 festivals celebrated in Nepal every year. While the national festivals have fixed dates, religious festivals are set by astrologers following the lunar calendar. The best part about the festivals in Nepal is that all the events are celebrated with the same enthusiasm and galore the way it used to be

Pinoy festivals

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The fiesta is part and parcel of Filipino culture. Through good times and bad times, the fiesta must go on. Each city and barrio has at least one local festival of its own, usually on the feast of its patron saint, so that there is always a fiesta going on somewhere in the country. But the biggest and most elaborate festival of all is Christmas, a season celebrated with all the pomp and pageantry

The Gurkhas- Bravest of Brave

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Gurkha Info“As I write these last words, my thoughts return to you who were my comrades, the stubborn and indomitable peasants of Nepal. Once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your fires, on forced march or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you

Foreign farm workers treated harshly

Agricultural workers are the most exploited employees in the country, according to a report to be released on Wednesday by the Kav LaOved-Worker's Hotline.The report will "reveal the extremely difficult realities of the systematic exploitation and severe violations of workers' rights carried out in the agricultural field," Kav LaOved said in a statement on Tuesday.

The organization plans to send the report to the Knesset, to coincide with employers' plans to push the parliament to allow more foreign agricultural workers into Israel.Ninety percent of agricultural workers polled reported they worked more hours than the maximum and received no overtime pay, the group said.Most field studies carried out by Kav LaOved found that most of the workers receive less than the minimum wage.The most common complaint received by the hotline from foreign workers is that their paychecks are withheld for months at a time, or sent back to their home countries without them knowing.

Most of the approximately 30,000 agricultural foreign workers in Israel come from Thailand and had to pay brokers in Israel and Thailand between $8,000 and $10,000 to get their visas.

photo : ariel jerozolinski

Many of their paychecks are withheld arbitrarily, with debt to the brokers a heavy burden. There is widespread seizure of employees' passports as collateral, according to Kav LaOved.Workers typically are not paid for or do not receive vacation days, with many only getting a single day off per month.Ten percent suffered on-the-job injuries in the past year.

"The aggressive way agricultural employers push to receive more workers is the same aggressive way they behave toward their employees: withholding pay, failure to pay the minimum wage, and forcing workers to work with dangerous pesticides," Kav LaOved manager Hanah Zohar said.Authorities must act against exploitative employees, including revoking work permits for employers who violate labor laws, Zohar said.
She also called for greater education of workers about their rights, and for law enforcement authorities to set up a hotline for worker complaints.

By BEN HARTMAN
jerusalem post