Labor Relations
Labor Relations
The law office’s particular specialization focuses on labor law and labor relations, in both the public and private sectors. The Avi Harari law office has acquired tremendous experience in providing legal counseling and representation to employers, managers, HR and wages staff and workers.
The office specializes in providing ongoing legal support to private businesses and public organizations. We set out to guarantee that workers receive the full rights to which they are entitled while defending the organization against nuisance suits and additional costs.
Proper management of the overall set of employment agreements, HR and wage implementation procedures and accompanying rights should limit and prevent legal risks and lawsuits, while saving on wage expenditure. We officely believe that the correct legal substructure for HR management will prevent future problems and ensuing legal action and improve labor relations.
As a professional who has worked on both sides of the fence, as the Deputy Director General & Director of Human Resources in a large organization and an attorney counseling employers and workers alike, Adv. Avi Harari is more than aptly qualified to provide fully comprehensive legal services to accompany employers with all their needs. In addition to providing an overall legal response, Adv. Harari also grants invaluable assistance with the business and organizational aspects so as to guarantee a decision-making process that is not only correct, but above all informed and wise, and which will serve the employer for many years to come.
Ongoing legal support
The employment of workers raises daily questions relating to employee rights, wages and benefits, and employer rights too.
Our law office specializes in providing ongoing legal and organizational consultation to all those engaged in the field of labor relations, and we are committed to a high degree of availability along with rapid and effective responses.
We provide legal support and consultation that is specifically tailored for each employer’s individual needs according to the overall set of labor agreements and laws applying to it.
Building the legal foundations for agreements and HR procedures
It is imperative to lay the correct foundations for HR management, as this increases certainty and both worker and manager satisfaction, while preventing risks and potential legal action.
We will be more than happy to assist by preparing and drafting all the agreements and procedures for employing workers (employment agreements, notifications to employees, changes to the terms of employment, retirement agreements, disciplinary and other hearings, working procedures and organizational knowledge retention, etc.). All this is clearly tailored to the size of the business and its specific organizational culture.
Expert legal opinions
In the event of a question arising, we shall make our expertise available to you and provide expert legal opinions to find business solutions that meet the legal requirements, in conjunction and consultation with you the client.
Representation before judicial authorities
We represent employers in pre-trial proceedings and proceedings before the labor court, mediation, arbitration, and all other legal authorities (including permits pursuant to the Employment of Women Law, Discharged Soldiers Law, the Hours of Work and Rest Law, etc.).
Collective labor relations
We accompany employers during negotiations towards signing initial collective agreements, and on the implementation and renewal of established collective agreements.
Preventing sexual harassment and workplace bullying
One of an employer's key obligations is to create a safe working environment for its employees, to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and to deal with workers’ complaints. We assist with the drafting of relevant working procedures, and in the event of a complaint, we will take part in the entire process of inquiry until its eventual resolution.
Pension and provident funds
By law, an employer must take care of its employees’ pension insurance. A pension arrangement is made as soon as a worker is hired and continues to have an impact dozens of years later. Our office has acquired profound expertise in the field of pensions, including budgetary pensions, old pension funds, participation pensions, senior employees’ insurance, provident funds, a combination of the various tracks and continuity of rights between different employers.
Our law office specializes in the provision of legal consultation and representation for employees throughout all stages of their employment, from the negotiations prior to commencing work, during the period of employment itself and culminating in the termination of employment and the ensuing rights from all of these.
We also accompany new immigrants and assist them in entering the Israeli labor market, and understanding workers’ rights, which vary from country to country.
Our work is designed to ensure that the employees gain all the rights to which they are entitled, while maintaining the special relationship between employee and employer.
As a professional who has worked on both sides of the fence, as the Deputy Director General & Director of Human Resources in a large organization and an attorney counseling employers and workers alike, Adv. Avi Harari is highly qualified to provide fully comprehensive legal services to accompany employees with all their needs, from A to Z. In addition to providing an overall legal response, Adv. Harari provides requisite assistance to employees in making decisions that are not only the correct ones, but also sensible decisions that will serve the employees throughout their entire professional lives.
Before commencing work
The law office accompanies workers during the recruitment processes, and in the negotiations prior to signing an employment contract. Although an employment contract essentially appears to be a simple affair, it involves an agreement that is likely to have a considerable impact on a worker for many years, including after retirement. The contract could include a number of significant issues such as: pension arrangements, “Clause 14” (of the Severance Pay Law), accompanying social benefits, non-compete clauses and employment limitations.
Even brief and concise consultation can prove to be of considerable value and save unnecessary distress and loss of earnings.
During work
Over the course of time, both employers and employees seek to make changes to the terms of employment, and on occasions they may even establish certain realities within the organization. Some changes are permitted while some are not, unless they have been made by consent; there are explicit agreements and de-facto agreements. There are changes that the employer seeks to introduce and those that the employee would like to add. Professional consultation prior to the change or during it will prevent problems, anguish and even financial loss.
It is important to remember that even promotion is a change, and as such it entails certain legal and economic implications that we should prepare for in advance.
Unfortunately, on occasions workers do experience inappropriate relations in the workplace, potential sexual harassment and even bullying. We can help you to determine whether the employer’s behavior in this case is lawful and acceptable. And if not - are you entitled to compensation? Our law office represents workers in similar situations in lawsuits and in negotiations.
Towards the termination of labor relations
Do you wish to stop working? Does your employer seek to terminate your employment?
Each of these steps entails both financial and personal consequences.
Legal consultation provided prior to the termination of work, whether this occurs on the employee's or employer's initiative, could well have a dramatic impact on the situation or at least prevent unnecessary conflicts.
Our law office accompanies workers during contractual termination processes, while examining each individual case on its own terms and deciding as to whether simply providing legal consultation to the worker is sufficient, or should we initiate legal proceedings.
Termination of work also involves financial implications: severance pay, redemption of various rights, provident funds, checking that the correct payments have been made throughout the entire work period, etc.
Our legal practice specializes in checking wages and ensuring payment of rights, with a view to preventing any needless loss of earning.
Towards and during retirement
Retirement is one of the most meaningful events during a worker's life. The decisions made and their implementation at this stage will have a dramatic effect on the rest of the worker’s life, and the life of his/her successors.
This is a considerably complex sphere, especially when workers have changed jobs on a number of occasions, and accordingly the number of pension plans throughout their professional career.
Our law office has extensive expertise in this field and grants legal consultation and support in all pension-related areas: budgetary pension, old pension funds, participation pensions, senior employees’ insurance, provident funds, etc.
Legal representation in the labor courts
We represent workers before the labor courts and all the other legal or quasi-legal proceedings, including proceedings held within the place of work (disciplinary investigations and hearings), arbitration, mediation, and other quasi-judicial entities (Employment of Women Law, Discharged Soldiers Law, etc.).
Besides our staunch adherence to ensuring employees’ rights, our legal office believes in mediation proceedings and reaching solutions via negotiation - which on many occasions are much better suited to improving the employee's situation.
