On 6 May 2011, the labour officials at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv paid a visit to Thai workers at HISHTIL Ltd. in Ashqelon district. The company is in the business of seedling cultivation e.g. cabbages, bell peppers, watermelons, asparagus, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, kohlrabi, beetroots, etc.
The officers found that there are 20 Thai workers in this company. The company is big and owns a vast land for cultivation. Plantation houses have temperature control system. Machines are used in watering plants and transporting seedlings. New plant breeding technologies are employed in grafting different types of vegetables e.g. watermelon which grows from pumpkin tree grafted with watermelon, turkey berry grafted with aubergine to get a strong and fertile aubergine, etc. The company exports seedlings to Holland, Germany, Switzerland, as well as sells in Israel. Workers receive an average salary of 4,500 – 6,000 Shekel per month. The employer arranges 1 bedroom per 8 workers, 2 bathrooms, 4 washing machines. Working time is 07.00 AM – 03.00 PM. The workers asked questions about tax refund and benefits they are entitled to in case of death. This concern grows since previously there is a worker passing away by sudden unexplained death syndrome while sleeping. The officers also gave the workers some sport equipments and a national flag to boost their morale.
