ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - Greater opportunities for the employment should be offered to disabled persons in Croatia as of next year when a law is to take effect stipulating the obligation of state-run companies to employ a certain number
of invalids and envisaging financial incentives to private companies for this purpose.
ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - Greater opportunities for the employment
should be offered to disabled persons in Croatia as of next year
when a law is to take effect stipulating the obligation of state-run
companies to employ a certain number of invalids and envisaging
financial incentives to private companies for this purpose. #L#
The basic aim of the bill on the professional rehabilitation and
employment of disabled persons, which will soon be discussed by the
Croatian parliament, is to help remove prejudges which make it more
difficult for the disabled persons to get a job.
Under the bill, state-run companies and public services should
employ at least two percent of invalids at appropriate jobs until
2006, and disabled persons-employees in such companies should
account for at least six percent of the workforce until 2022.
Mandatory quotas in the invalids' employment are to be introduced
in Croatia following examples set by some western countries such as
Great Britain, Germany and France where every 16th employee is a
disabled person.
If the said bill be consistently applied, by 2006 there will be two
disabled workers out of 100 employees in the Croatian public
sector.
In case employers fail to meet the quota on the employment of
invalids, they will have to pay a special contribution of 0.02
percent from the entire mass of salaries into a Fund for the
professional rehabilitation, whose establishment is also
stipulated by the bill.
This amount is labelled by the Blind Persons' Association as
symbolic and insufficiently encouraging.
The association believes that 100-percent invalids would be still
deprived of the rights as employers would be more willing to give
jobs to persons with smaller disability.
That is why it has forwarded an amendment which provides for the
allocation of special jobs to 100-percent invalids.
Private companies are to get financial stimulation and the means
for this purpose are to be secured from the above-mentioned fund.
Budgetary means coming to 25 million kuna (approximately 3.3
million euros) should be ensured for this purpose, and this amount
is to increase by five million kuna (666 thousand euros) on a yearly
basis in the coming five years.
Funds will be secured for possible adaptation of the premises where
disabled persons will work and for necessary aids.
The bill proposes measures aimed at facilitating also self-
employment of disabled persons.
At the moment, some 13,000 persons are registered as invalids in the
Central Employment Office and in the social welfare system.
The exact figure of employed invalids, however, is difficult to
establish, given that some of them are working in the grey economy.
According to the finance ministry, 50,000 disabled Croatians are
employed.
(hina) ms