Discrimination in workplace must be ended

Discrimination in workplace must be ended

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Dozens of disabled persons in East
Kalimantan staged a protest on Tuesday, demanding the government
to end discrimination against them in the work place.

During the protest, which coincided with the Disabled Persons
International Day, they also demanded the local government to
implement central government regulations to punish the companies
that barred them from entering private and government-owned
firms.

In the protest, held in front of East Kalimantan's Social
Affairs agency office, the protesters lashed out at the local
government for failing to implement regulations, which
specifically ruled that the companies must not discriminate
against disabled persons. They also demanded a specific bylaw,
wherein the local government would have to ensure employment for
disabled persons.

They said that they "are given attention by the government,
only when there is a social project in the Social Office."

Meanwhile, Syafrudin, the deputy chairman of East Kalimantan
Social Affairs agency, said that the local government could not
produce a bylaw that ensured employment for disabled persons.

"The issues have been adequately covered by the central
government regulations," he said. There are approximately 1,000
disabled persons in registered in East Kalimantan. -- JP