Workers interviewed by Haaretz reporter Ruth Sinai and Bulgarian journalists, who came to Israel in the last two weeks, said that they live in a regime of fear, intimidation and violence meant to guarantee their job loyalty. Y. Tsarfati admits that before they come, the workers are required to make a $5,000 deposit and to sign over their apartments through mortgages to the company to guarantee they will keep their commitments to the contractors for whom they work. But the company denies it threatens or beats workers. The company claims that it won the workers' loyalty by providing comfortable working conditions, a decent wage and a good employer attitude toward them.

Workers who were interviewed reported being fined tens of dollars for every "crime," such as leaving the residential area without permission and requests for itemization of their wages. More "serious" crimes, like refusing to work on the Sabbath, resulted in beatings, they said, as Bulgarian foremen used their fists, planks and other objects to beat them. Dozens of workers showed up at the Bulgarian Embassy yesterday with all their belongings to tell the ambassador that they have not been paid in months, to demand their money - and ask to go home.

A formal complaint was made to the police against Y. Tsarfati back in May 2000, accusing them of kidnapping, imprisonment and beating workers. Upon completion of the investigation, the case was handed over to the state prosecution, but despite the time that has since elapsed, no decision has been made about going ahead with a prosecution. At the same time, the Bulgarian Embassy learned about the company's violence against workers and Yitzhak Tsarfati was called to the ambassador for a conversation. The Israeli embassy in Bulgaria was given information last year about violence toward the workers, but the embassy continues issuing work visas to the people the company sends to Israel.

The Immigration Police are now investigating information about company workers involvement in extortion, threats and other suspicions. A delegation from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and Labor Ministry is also going to investigate here. Hopefully, these investigations will get to the bottom of the affair and put an end to the harm being done to people who have come to Israel to earn a livelihood.

The policy that shackles workers to the companies that bring them and renders the workers illegal aliens if they leave, must be annulled. For two years, an inter-ministerial committee has been examining the issue of abandoning these shackles, and it is leaning toward making such a recommendation. But pressure from the employers meanwhile prevents that. The state must cease this form of slavery, which not only turns the workers into victims of abuse and exploitation by their employers, but constantly increases the number of illegal workers in the country. Israeli society must not permit these inhumane forms of employment, and it is duty bound to pressure the authorities to stop the phenomenon and punish those responsible.