Well, here’s the thing. As strange as this sounds, there is no law that forces employers to pay employees who were on bereavement leave for family members.
Now, most employers in the private sector are sympathetic and will pay the days in full even thought they may not be obligated to by law.
An employee’s right to payment for bereavement leave can be due to a collective agreement that obligates the employer or in a certain sector or due to a personal contract which specifies payment due to bereavement leave.
Here are a few examples of sectors that have collective agreements for bereavement leave (it is also paid in full in the public sector).
The Hotel sector: An employee is allowed to be absent from work during his bereavement, if the deceased is a parent, spouse, child, sibling and his pay is not reduced nor are his vacation days used. This collective agreement has been signed as an extended order and is mandatory for all employees/employers in the Hotel industry in Israel.
Gas stations: An employee who mourns for reason of custom or religion due to death of parents, spouse or siblings, the absent days will not be deducted from his vacation days and the employer will pay the absent days due to bereavement leave. This collective agreement has been signed as an extended order and is mandatory for all employees/employers in the gas stations sector in Israel.
Operators of heavy mechanical Engineering equipment / rubber industry / leather, seamsters, shoe manufacturers / auto mechanics / printers, offset and book binders / metal, electricians, electronics, software, workshops and small manufacturers / diamond industry / plastic / textile and clothing and transportation: Employees with tenure are eligible for payment for days of mourning for the "shivah" period that they sat according to Jewish law (upon death of parents, spouse, children and siblings). Employees of other faiths are eligible only if they are required by their religion to observe these days for 7 days of mourning (up to 6 actual days depending on the work week – 5 days or 6). This collective agreement also has an extended order and is mandatory for all employers and employees in these sectors.
Moshe Egel-Tal, CSPP
Founder and CEO, Israpay "making payroll simple"
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