Workers Advice Center - WAC-MAAN

Since its registration as a nonprofit in the year 2000, the Workers Advice Center (WAC-MAAN) has defended and organized Arabs and Jews on the periphery of Israel’s job market. It started as a labor-rights center defending mainly Arabs. A decade before the social protest of 2011, WAC identified the inequalities that had increased levels of poverty in both the Arab and Jewish sectors. These inequalities led WAC to develop a trade union section, which in 2010 was legally recognized as such.

WAC is committed to social justice regardless of color, ethnicity, sex, or religion. It targets several areas, not confining itself to organizing workers. For example, WAC invests much effort in developing employment avenues for Arab women, who recognize WAC ias a place they can come to for jobs. It is also an address for government agencies, which recognize the value of its work.

WAC-MAAN's areas of focus include: Labor and human rights, employment, women's empowerment, alleviation of poverty, education in labor rights and job safety, and Jewish-Arab relations.

Since its inception WAC-MAAN has:

• Provided legal aid and consultation to 5,000 workers and those unemployed in Israel and East Jerusalem
• Placed 6,000 workers, Arab women among them, in legally registered jobs
• Organized dozens of workers' committees, negotiating and signing collective agreements
• Trained over 500 construction workers in on-the-job safety
• Raised $800,000 through nine annual art sales to advance the employment of Arab women in Israel
• Lobbied the Knesset and government offices for policy changes on labor issues
• Maintained a high media and social media profile

Media

Wafa Tiara, Kuf Qara's 'First Feminist' - WAC-MAAN - 7.6.15

The deal between Israeli farmers and the Israeli government will deepen unemployment among Arab women - WAC-MAAN- 10.15.15

Women's Day in Baqa al-Gharbia: The change must begin from within - WAC-MAAN - 3.15.16