The Malta Employers’ Association has welcomed the intention of the government to get as many willing persons with a disability into productive employment in companies employing more than 50 people, as stated by the Prime Minister. The MEA said it has always supported efforts by its members to adhere to the two per cent disabled employment quota required by legislation.

The MEA said nothing stood in the way of the government to insist on a full enforcement of these obligations on employers, including the public sector according to the original law which was enacted in 1969.

It would be exemplary were the public sector to take the lead, and similar to so many private sector companies, fulfil its obligations in respect of the quota, it added.

The public sector is notoriously short of the quota, the MEA said. However, were government to try to fulfil its quota obligations, there will not be enough persons with a disability on the ETC register to satisfy the demand.

The MEA said the recent amendments to the law, pushed through without any consultations whatsoever with the social partners, contain serious shortcomings which will not help the attainment of the objective set in favour of persons with a disability.

Through these amendments, the ETC seems more intent on collecting so called obligatory ‘contributions’ from employers, to be paid into the Lino Spiteri Foundation rather than creating job opportunities to persons with disability willing to work, it added.