Ref: 37/2018

On Monday, 29 October 2018, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) organized a panel discussion titled:”Executive Regulations of Social Security Law.” The panel discussion was attended by specialists representing workers, employers, trade unions, NGOs, civil society organizations, and media.

Khalil Shaheen, Director of the PCHR’s Economic and Social Rights Unit, opened the panel discussion by welcoming the participants, and pointed to the PCHR’s interest into and follow-up of the repercussions of applying Social Security Law, including the issue of starting implanting in early November.

The participants in the panel discussed at length the five instructions of 2018 on social security that included the following:

1. Instructions No. (1) of 2018, the commencement of registration and insurance coverage.
2. Instructions No. (2) of 2018, registration and subscriptions to the Social Security institution.
3. Instructions No. (3) of 2018, the optional admission for the insurance of old aged people, persons with disability and natural deaths.
4. Instructions No. (4) of 2018, raising the age of entitlement to retirement salary and age grant.
5. Instructions No. (5) of 2018, payment of contributions in case of reduction or suspension of the payments from the insured person.

The participants emphasized the importance of applying the Social Security Law, believing that the philosophy of social protection is a fundamental right codified in international conventions; foremostly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Labor Convention.

The panel discussion was concluded with the formation of a tripartite committee comprising of Khalil Shaheen, Representative of PCHR, Helmy Barzaq, Legal Expert in Labor Rights, and Mustafa Shehadah, legal Expert in Labor Rights and Union Organizing. The Committee was formed to prepare a memorandum to the Minister of Labor in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Social Security Corporation, including a set of recommendations and suggestions to amend some articles in the regulations that were discussed.