MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Yisrael Eichler, a member of the council of four seeking to minimize Chilul Shabbos, are beginning to realize that letters to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other government officials are not going to be enough to stop growing state-sponsored Chilul Shabbos. This has led Eicher to authoring a bill that would make it illegal to pay employees extra for working on Shabbos.

According to the law, an employee who receives a permit to work on Shabbos is entitled to receive a substantial wage increment for what he receives on a regular day, both for additional hours and for work on a day that defines freedom. According to MK Eichler, this is an addition of 400% that brings quite a few workers to work on Shabbos.

On Sunday morning, 28 Menachem Av, in an interview with Kol Berama Radio, MK Eichler revealed his bill, which he intended to pass in the Knesset, and whose wording was finalized at night. According to the bill, the state will not encourage or finance Chilul Shabbos. Hence, one working on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim would not receive additional pay other than circumstances dealing with pikuach nefesh.

According to MK Eichler, the bill will solve 90% of the problem, since the workers will not want to work on Shabbos.

Eichel adds in the explanation of the bill, “the chareidi and dati communities are well-aware as to how to observe Shabbos in line with halacha, and are aware that lighting a cigarette or cooking are Chilul Shabbos D’oraissa, all the more so traveling in a vehicle on a street. One who does not keep Shabbos will not be deterred by any law but when we are addressing the Jewish character of the Jewish State, the state must not pay additional wages to encourage working and Chilul Shabbos”.

The bill is expected to be presented to the cabinet in the coming days but the legislative process will have to wait the amount of time required by law, and with the summer recess coming up, this will not be completed in the current Knesset session.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)