The Day was attended by Dr. Khereyah Rassas, Palestinian Prime Minister's Advisor and Vice President for International Development and External Affairs at An-Najah and An-Najah Vice Presidents and Assistants; Mr. Akram Rujoub, the Governor of Nablus; Dr. Ahmad Majdalani, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF); Mr. Hasan Al-Auri, Legal Adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas; Mr. Naser Qatami, Palestinian Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour; Dr. Atef Alawneh, Member of the National Group and the Basic Law Drafting Committee; Mr. Mounir Kleibo, Representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO)*; Mr. Hussein Shabaneh, Chairman of the Palestinian Bar Association; Mr. Shaher Sa’d, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Federation of Trade Unions; Dr. Majid El-Helw, representative of the General Authority for Insurance and Pensions in Palestine and Dr. Muayad Hattab, Head of the Scientific Research Committee at the Faculty of Law at An-Najah.

Dr. Mohammad El-Amleh, Vice President for Academic Affairs at An-Najah welcomed the attendees and mentioned that the social security law is a great step to enhance the Palestinian legal system and protect Palestinian workers. He also mentioned that the law was launched in the beginning of March, 2016.

First Session Presentations

Dr. Majdalani started to talk about the social security as part of the Palestinian sustainability development plan. He added that the law was founded according to international standards.

Mr. Al-Auri discussed the 43 article of the Palestinian basic law which declares: “The President of the National Authority shall have the right, in cases of necessity that cannot be delayed, and when the Legislative Council is not in session, to issue decrees that have the power of law. These decrees shall be presented to the Legislative Council in the first session convened after their issuance; otherwise they will cease to have the power of law.  If these decrees are presented to the Legislative Council, but are not approved by the latter, then they shall cease to have the power of law.”

In his turn, Mr. Qatami said that the law is considered a portal that offers social protection to those who work in the private sector and paves the way to establish a system of social security in other sectors. He also said that the law includes those who work inside the green line area.

In his speech, Dr. Alawneh focused on retirement, social security, social care and social protection and compared the terms all together. He also focused on the law’s purposes, principles and values.

Mr. Kleibo said that the International Labour Organization works hard to protect its partners’ rights and pointed out that the law is to be mended to match the international standards.

In the same context, Mr. Shabaneh called the representatives to take into consideration the law’s drawbacks in order to put it on the right track.

The first session also included presentations by both Mr. Sa’d and Dr. Hattab on the subject.

Second Session

The second session included an open discussion on the law’s rules, purposes, scopes and the categories included.

Notes:

• The law covers issues related to retirement benefits, maternity leave, disability and payments to families of deceased workers.
• The ILO was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.