Important Israeli Labor Law Updates for Employers Ahead of April 2026

Ahead of a New Extension Order Regulating the Rights of Reservists and Their Spouses

On March 3, 2026, the Minister of Labor announced his intention to issue an extension order of a collective bargaining agreement to regulate the rights of reservists and their spouses. For convenience, the key provisions of the collective bargaining agreement are set out below. We will update when this extension order is announced.

Employers may not dismiss employees:

The collective bargaining agreement extends dismissal protection to 60 days after completing reserve duty, subject to the completion of 60 days of reserve duty cumulatively during a calendar year or continuously from the preceding year, unless special circumstances exist and the dismissal does not relate to reserve duty.

Employers may not impose unpaid leave on employees:

The extension order also prohibits employers from imposing unpaid leave on employees who are absent due to reserve duty during said 60-day period, except under particular circumstances unrelated to reserve duty and with the employees’ consent, or if an employee wants unpaid leave during reserve duty and the employer agrees.

Employers may apply for a special permit for dismissals or unpaid leave:

The extension order empowers a supervisory committee to approve special permits for dismissals or unpaid leave for the 30-day period following the initial 30 days after the completion of reserve duty, considering special circumstances presented by the employer, which will be recorded in the committee’s decision, only if the employer proves that the requested dismissal does not relate to reserve duty. The committee will issue its decision within 14 days, after obtaining the employee’s response (to the extent possible).

The supervisory committee’s powers do not supersede the powers of the Employment Committee pursuant to the Discharged Soldiers (Reinstatement of Employment) Law:

Employers who wish to obtain a permit to dismiss a reservist during a period of active military service or during the 30 days after the employee completes reserve duty must apply to the Ministry of Defense’s Employment Committee.

Employers may not adversely change employment terms:

An adverse change includes reassigning employees to different roles or adding or removing tasks during the relevant 60-day period, except in particular circumstances not considered as adversely changing employment terms within this context. 

Paid absences for reservists’ spouses:

Reservists’ spouses, even those working part-time, are entitled to absences at the employer’s expense beyond the statutory provisions, but only during their spouses’ active reserve duty. The value of absences is the same as paid leave days, which may also be partially applied as hours of absence and not necessarily as a full workday.

Definition of reservist’s spouse:

A reservist’s spouse is defined as a parent of at least one child under the age of 14, or of a child up to the age of 18 who has a malignant disease or is undergoing dialysis, or as an individual who exclusively supervises or cares for a relative with a disability (as defined by law) or a sick parent (as defined by law).

Days of spousal absence with pay:

Such days may be utilized in one or more of the following circumstances: childcare; illness of a child up to the age of 14, or illness of a child up to the age of 18 who has a malignant disease or is undergoing dialysis; exclusive supervision or care for a relative with a disability or a sick parent (as defined by law); extension of the spouse’s maternity and parenthood leave; absence due to the spouse being called up for active reserve duty for the purpose of attending to essential household management and maintenance arrangements that can only be performed during the workday; and other absences in coordination with the employer.

Such days of absence will be permitted while taking into account the needs of the workplace, to the extent possible. Employees must present a medical certificate to their employers for instances of absence due to the illness of a child or care for a relative with a disability or a sick parent. Employees who are entitled to annual leave exceeding 35 days are entitled to a partial addition of vacation days.

Days of absence utilized before the extension order comes into effect:

Days of absence utilized from January 1, 2026, and until the extension order comes into effect with employees being paid their full wages will be returned to the employees’ quota of sick leave days or vacation days (depending on the reasons for the absence) by no later than the salary of the month immediately after the extension order comes into effect.

Days of absence utilized from January 1, 2026, and until the extension order comes into effect without employees being paid their full wages will be returned to the employees’ relevant quota of leave days. The employer will pay employees the balance of their full wages for these days, by no later than the salary of the month immediately after the extension order comes into effect.

The entitlement to days of absence does not accrue beyond the calendar year and such days are not redeemable, unless consecutive days of reserve duty continue into the next calendar year.

Hours of absence for reservists’ spouses:

Entitlement to hours of absence pursuant to the Employment of Women Law will also apply in instances of spouses employed in full-time positions split between different employers, proportionately for each employer, provided that the employees present evidence of their actual scope of employment at each employer.

Accumulation of annual leave days by employees prevented from utilizing vacation days due to the war:

The collective bargaining agreement specifies that employees are entitled to accumulate the balance of unutilized annual vacation days credited to them, without requiring their employers’ consent, and to add the balance to their quotas of annual vacation days during the next two years of employment in one or more of the following instances: the employer did not allow employees to take vacation leave; the employee was absent due to reserve duty of at least five consecutive days; the employee was absent from work or did not perform work due to the circumstances specified in Section 2 of the Employee Protection in Times of Emergency Law; the employee received a compulsory call-up order to report to work in an essential enterprise or in an essential services enterprise; or the employee worked overtime pursuant to a permit for overtime due to the state of emergency.

Amendment to Employment of Women Law: Extension of Maternity and Parental Leave for Employees with Babies Born with Complex Disabilities

As of April 1, 2026, women who give birth to babies with complex disabilities, recognized as such during the maternity and parental leave, are entitled to extend their maternity and parental leave by an additional five weeks.

Pursuant to an indirect amendment to the National Insurance Law, employees who exercise this extension will also be entitled to an additional maternity allowance for the extension period, up to a maximum of five weeks, subject to the cumulative limits prescribed by law regarding other extensions.

Wage Update in Security Guard Sector as of April 1, 2026

An amendment to the Employment of Employees by Service Contractors in the Guarding and Cleaning of Public Bodies Order came into effect on January 1, 2026, which prescribes a structural update to the wages of cleaners and cleaning supervisors employed through service contractors as a permanent addition to the minimum wage under the Minimum Wage Law. This update also applies to all employers and employees engaging in cleaning in the private sector, pursuant to the circular of the chief labor relations officer, which was published at that time.

Now, a similar update is coming into effect in the security guard sector. Employees in this sector will be entitled to a minimum wage that is 10% higher than the minimum wage pursuant to any law and as updated from time to time, or to a minimum wage together with a fixed monetary increment, whichever is higher.

In the private sector, as of April 1, 2026 (due to the expected minimum wage increase), the monthly minimum wage for a full-time security guard will be ILS 7,118.85, and the hourly minimum wage will be ILS 39.11. For security guard supervisors, the monthly minimum wage for a full-time job will be ILS 7,126.85, and the hourly minimum wage will be ILS 39.16. Please note that the minimum wage for this sector is expected to be updated again on January 1, 2027, and April 1, 2027. This directive is not at the discretion of employers or service recipients.

Extension of Special Permits for Overtime Work

The Minister of Labor has ordered the extension of the special permits for employers to ask employees to work overtime in the general economy as well as the transportation sector until March 26, 2026.

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Adv. Netta Bromberg is a partner and head of the firm’s Employment Department.

Adv. Amit Hadad and Adv. Erica Barmack are associates in the department.

Barnea Jaffa Lande’s Employment Department provides comprehensive legal support to employers on all aspects of employment law and labor relations. We will continue to monitor developments and updates announced by the competent authorities and provide updates regarding any changes relevant to employers.