Government studies required hiring of disabled

Government studies required hiring of disabled

JAKARTA (JP): The government is considering drafting a bill to
compel companies to employ disabled people.

Minister for Social Services Yustika Baharsyah said in a
seminar on employment here on Thursday that a new law is needed
to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities and
enable their participation in the work force.

"They can be as productive if not more productive than normal
people. They can make significant contributions to the company
they work with," she told an audience of 100 people comprising
businessmen and government officials.

"In Yogyakarta there is a non-governmental organization that
has successfully trained disabled people and even exported the
fruit of their labor to the United Kingdom, New Zealand,
Australia and the Netherlands," she said.

The current laws on the disabled, Law No. 4/1997 and
Presidential Decree No. 83/1999, have not worked well, she said,
because they were in effect only appeals for companies to recruit
disabled people.

Iftikhar Ahmed, the Jakarta branch director of the
International Labor Organization (ILO), said some countries took
a persuasive approach while others set rules requiring companies
to employ disabled people.

Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris said experts have identified
104 jobs suitable for disabled people.

"It is proof that there are wide opportunities for people with
disabilities," he said.

Barbara Murray, ILO senior specialist in vocational
rehabilitation, said many countries introduced new laws and
modified rules on education, training and employment to make
workplaces more accessible and supportive for the disabled.

Underlining the importance of appropriate jobs, support and
technical aid for them will ensure low accident rates and high
productivity, she said.

In promoting job opportunities for the disabled, Robert Heron,
an ILO senior specialist, underlined the importance of the
recruitment process in channeling them to appropriate positions
in the work force.

He said public employment services are needed to act as agents
for the disabled, saying the government agencies should develop
links with companies as clients and partners. (06)