The Labour Courts and Their Place in the Legal and Labour Relations Systems of Israel

Abstract

One of the events marking the legal development of this country which has taken place since the first International Congress of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, is the coming into being of a new system of Courts—the Labour Courts. Israel thus joined the ever increasing number of states having a special judiciary to adjudicate in matters of labour.The Law establishing the Labour Courts came into operation on September 1, 1969, exactly four years ago. This period is too short for a sound evaluation and because of my position, I am to some extent, disqualified from evaluating results and achievements, even in as far as already warranted by experience.Being fully aware of these limitations, in this address I will try to present this new component of the Judiciary of Israel, and to outline the place of the Labour Courts in the Legal and Labour Relations Systems of Israel.Before dealing with the Labour Courts, their composition and jurisdiction, it would, I believe be proper to make some remarks on the labour relations system of Israel, and to comment on some basic features of our labour law. This has to be done, since the Labour Courts, although institutionally and constitutionally part of the Judiciary, are an integral component of the labour relations system, just as the Judiciary as a whole is an integral component of the socio-economic and political system of any state.