Dismissal without a pre-dismissal hearing: how much compensation the labor courts award

Service page: Employment lawyer: dismissals, wages and severance pay.

How much compensation is awarded for dismissal without a hearing?

There is no fixed amount. The duty to hold a hearing is not written in the law. It derives from the duty of good faith in the employer-employee relationship (section 39 of the Contracts (General Part) Law), and it also applies to a private employer (Labor Appeal 415/06, National Labor Court, 2007). It also does not depend on whether it was set in the employment contract (Labor Case (סע״ש) 39181-04-14, Regional Labor Court in Be’er Sheva, 2016).

The court sets the compensation according to the circumstances of the case. In January 2026, the National Labor Court raised compensation from NIS 20,000 to NIS 55,000. Among other reasons, this was because of how serious the defects in the hearing were, the employee’s seniority and age, and how the parties behaved (Labor Appeal 52013-04-23). In the judgments in the table below, the amounts awarded for the defective hearing ranged from NIS 0 to NIS 135,000.

What exactly is paid for: no hearing, a defective hearing, or a hearing for appearance’s sake

The court examines whether the employee received a real opportunity to influence the decision. The employer must tell the employee of its intention in advance, give the reasons, and give the employee “a fitting opportunity to try to avert the harsh decision” (Labor Appeal 1027/01, National Labor Court, 2003).

These are the defects for which compensation was awarded in the judgments in the table:

• No hearing at all: dismissal “with immediate effect” (Labor Case 39181-04-14), by text message (Labor Case 62961-12-16), or by a phone call or a WhatsApp message (Labor Case 59003-11-21).
• A meeting that was not made clear to be a hearing, without minutes taken at the time (Labor Appeal 27600-10-11).
• A general summons: without details of the grounds or without examples (Labor Appeal 52013-04-23; Labor Case 24269-04-22), or without the real reasons for the dismissal (Labor Case 31740-07-20; Labor Case 62655-02-20).
• A decision made before the hearing, or a day after it without real consideration of the arguments (Labor Case 1018-10-17; Labor Case 24269-04-22).
• Minutes that do not reflect what was said at the hearing (Labor Case 31740-07-20).
• A hearing as a tool of threat, and not as a stage before a decision (Labor Case 59003-11-21).

In January 2026, the National Labor Court set out what is required at each stage (Labor Appeal 52013-04-23). In the summons: detailed and respectful wording, the facts and documents, and concrete examples; no reprimand or wording that shows the decision has already been made; and no summons during a vacation in a way that disrupts it. At the hearing: letting the employee present all their arguments and listening to them “with an open heart and a willing spirit”, with no surprise allegations or evidence. In the decision: reasoning that addresses the employee’s arguments.

Check your hearing, question by question: Was the hearing proper? A self-check.

17 judgments: how much was awarded, and in what circumstances

The amounts are as stated in the judgment or in the report on it, without linkage differentials and interest and without costs. The table does not predict the outcome of another case.

When is compensation low, or not awarded at all?

• When the right to be heard was exercised in substance, even without a formal “hearing”. The court looks at substance, not form (Labor Case 53726-12-21; Labor Appeal 56265-09-22).
• When the employee admitted a serious act for which they were dismissed (Labor Appeal 42510-06-15).
• When the employee frustrated the hearing: refused again and again, without a relevant reason, to attend, including the alternatives offered to them (Labor Case 66871-07-20).
• When the defects are technical: a short summons when the employee knew the allegations and did not ask for a postponement, or minutes kept in writing, with no audio recording (Labor Case 53430-02-23).

In the other direction, the judgments in the table took into account seniority (Labor Case 39181-04-14; Labor Case 62655-02-20), age (Labor Appeal 52013-04-23) and how serious the defect was, for example when the real ground was hidden from the employee (Labor Case 62655-02-20).

What else can you claim besides compensation for the hearing?

Compensation for the hearing is one component. Alongside it, check:

• Advance notice: an employer that did not give advance notice in writing will pay compensation equal to the regular wage for the period (sections 2(c) and 7(a) of the Advance Notice of Dismissal and Resignation Law, 5761-2001). How much advance notice you are owed.
• Severance pay: severance pay calculator.
• Dismissal in a protected period: it is forbidden to dismiss an employee who was absent because of illness during the period of entitlement to sick pay, subject to exceptions (section 4A of the Sick Pay Law, 5736-1976). During reserve duty, and after service of more than two consecutive days also for 30 days after it, a dismissal needs a permit from the Employment Committee (section 41A(b) of the Discharged Soldiers (Reinstatement in Employment) Law, 5709-1949 (חוק החיילים המשוחררים (החזרה לעבודה), התש״ט-1949)). Details: how long after reserve duty dismissal is forbidden.
• Discrimination: when the dismissal came from a forbidden reason, the court may award compensation under the Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law, 5748-1988 even without financial damage (section 10(a)), as in two judgments in the table (Labor Case 24269-04-22; Labor Case 66202-11-22). Discrimination at work.

How long do you have to sue, and where?

You sue in the Regional Labor Court. A civil claim is generally time-barred after seven years (section 5(1) of the Prescription Law, 5718-1958). But a claim under the Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law is filed within five years of the day the cause of action arose (section 14 of that Law). Even when the time has not passed, evidence and witnesses disappear over the years. How the proceeding works: proceedings in the Labor Court.

What to keep right now

• The summons to the hearing, if there was one, and the email or message in which it was sent.
• The minutes, if you were given them. If not, a list you wrote yourself: who was present, what was said, and when.
• The dismissal letter or the advance notice.
• Correspondence from the period before the dismissal, for example about your replacement or about access permissions being blocked before the hearing.
• Do not sign a waiver or a “termination agreement” before you get advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is an employer allowed to dismiss you without a hearing?

As a rule, no. The duty to hold a hearing derives from the duty of good faith in the employer-employee relationship, and it also applies to a private employer (Labor Appeal 415/06). A dismissal without a hearing can lead to compensation even when there was a relevant reason to dismiss (Labor Case 39181-04-14; Labor Case 62961-12-16).

I was dismissed by a WhatsApp message. Is that legal?

Dismissal by text message or by a phone call, without a hearing, cost employers NIS 25,000 and NIS 30,000 in two judgments in the table (Labor Case 62961-12-16; Labor Case 59003-11-21). Advance notice of dismissal must be in writing, and must state the day it was given and the day the dismissal takes effect.

There was a hearing, but I felt the decision had already been made. Does it count?

A hearing held after the decision had already been made, or a decision made a day after the hearing without considering the arguments, led to compensation in judgments in the table (Labor Case 1018-10-17; Labor Case 24269-04-22). Evidence of this can be, for example, appointing a replacement before the hearing.

I didn’t attend the hearing. Have I lost the right to compensation?

In 2025, the Regional Labor Court in Tel Aviv ruled on an employee who refused again and again, without a relevant reason, to attend a hearing. He also refused to use the alternatives offered to him (a hearing in writing or through his representative). The court held that he had waived the right to be heard and was lawfully dismissed (Labor Case 66871-07-20). The National Labor Court requires reasonable time to prepare for the hearing (Labor Appeal 52013-04-23). If the time was not enough, you can ask in writing for another date.

How much notice should you get of a summons to a pre-dismissal hearing?

The law does not set a number of days. The National Labor Court requires reasonable time to prepare, including time to get advice (Labor Appeal 52013-04-23). A two-day summons was enough in a case where the employee had known the allegations about a month earlier and did not ask for a postponement (Labor Case 53430-02-23). Details: Summons to a pre-dismissal hearing: how much notice, and what it must include.

Does the compensation for the hearing replace severance pay?

No. In the judgments in the table, compensation for the defective hearing was awarded separately, sometimes alongside compensation under the Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law (Labor Case 24269-04-22; Labor Case 66202-11-22), and alongside advance notice and severance pay when they are owed.