Employment scheme for persons with disability

"It is apparent that there is a lack of information about the role and experience of small and medium sized enterprises when it comes to the employment of people with disability," FOI president Anton Borg said when addressing a meeting organisation by the National Commission Persons with Disability on Monday.

During his intervention Mr Borg highlighted the five key factors that the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE), of which the FOI is an active member, together with other European social partners, identified for the successful employment of people with disabilities:

1. There should not be any discrimination and that the right path to follow is that which improves employment opportunities of people with disabilities.

2. For an enterprise, identification and development of its employees' competences is key to its competitiveness.

3. Good employment practices can contribute to the economic success of a company. Employers should deve-lop unexploited resources to enable persons with disabilities to contribute an added value to the company.

4. Diversified solutions should be found in view of the specific needs of employees with disabilities.

5. All parties having an interest in the integration of persons with disabilities should enter into serious discussions on fostering the employment of people with disabilities.

Mr Borg later went on to state the three important areas to take into consideration in such a discussion:

1. The need to instil among employers a better conscience to understand and appreciate what it means to be disabled and the precise nature of the disability of the person to be employed.

2. The need for an awareness campaign among employers on the relative regulations and how these can facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities.

3. The importance of intermediary organisations in promoting a positive attitude towards disability and the regulatory framework, as well as providing the training and personal support to persons with disability.

In his conclusion, the FOI president appealed to all parties to try to achieve two objectives:

¤ a change in attitude on the lack of confidence and self esteem people with disability have among other employees; and
¤ a change in attitude of both their work colleagues and their employers that limit the extent these employees successfully integrate at the workplace and make progress with the firm.

The problem would not be solved by enforcing the law that obliges employers to have two per cent of their workforce from among persons with disability. There is a lot of work that has to be done to develop the role of NGOs who are aware of the problems of persons with disabilities.

Mr Borg said: "By having a strong will, patience and by adapting those schemes, which were successful in other countries, to the particular needs of Malta we can also succeed."