The Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovakia elected representatives last weekend and approved its development strategy for the next four years. One point of the program was also an amendment to the Employment Services Act.
The delegates of the 7th congress of ÚNSS, held on 26 and 27 October in Bratislava, once again elected Branislav Mamojka to the head of their organization. Milan Měchura became the first vice-chair, and Renata Olahová and Josef Zbranek took the vice-chair seats. They also approved the ÚNSS development strategy for 2012–2016.
“Our primary task will continue to be the defence and support of the enforcement of the rights of blind and partially sighted people and the more intensive involvement of ÚNSS members in activities aimed at securing their rights related to overcoming and preventing the consequences of visual impairment in all areas of life. We also want to expand conditions for the active discussion by organization members on specific and professional issues, thereby increasing their participation in the objectification of organizational positions and attitudes on problems connected with visual impairment,” says B. Mamojka.
“One of the strategic goals for the next period will be increasing public awareness of the overall usefulness of measures that make it easier to include people with visual impairment in society. In line with the principle, ‘Necessary for us, useful for you,’ we will patiently explain that accessibility measures ensuring architectural and information access for people with visual impairment should not be special measures, but part of standard policies,” explains ÚNSS director Ivana Potočňáková.
The discussion was stirred by the draft amendment to the Employment Services Act, to which the delegates adopted a declaration (attached as an appendix to the press release), addressed to Prime Minister Robert Fico, Speaker of the National Council Pavol Paška and Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family Affairs Ján Richter. In it, they disagree with several proposals whose introduction into practice can take away the jobs of many people with visual impairments.
We, the delegates of the 7th congress of Únia nevidiacich a slabozrakých Slovenska held in Bratislava on 26 and 27 October 2012, have familiarized ourselves with the prepared amendment to Law No. 5/2004 Z. z. on Employment Services and we adopt the following declaration:
We do not agree with several proposals submitted by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, especially: - with the termination of the grant for reimbursement of operating costs of protected workplaces established by employers, - with the abolition of the differentiation in the amount of the grant for reimbursing operating costs of protected workshops and protected workplaces depending on the degree of decline in the earning capacity of a supported person with a disability, - with the radical reduction of grant amounts for establishing a sheltered workshop and a sheltered workplace and for starting self-employed gainful activity of persons with disabilities at a sheltered workplace, - with the change in conditions for providing the grant to retain a person with a disability in employment and with the radical reduction of its amount, - with the abolition of the grant for activation activity in the form of volunteer service for job seekers.
We are convinced that adoption of the proposed amendments will lead to the loss of employment for a large proportion of blind and partially sighted citizens and to greater difficulty in their labour market integration.
We align with the essential comments prepared by the National Council of Citizens with Disabilities to the proposed law amendment. We firmly believe that the submitted comments will be accepted by the proposers of the draft law and no reduction of the current level of support for employment of persons with disabilities will occur.
On behalf of 66 delegates of the 7th congress of Únia nevidiacich a slabozrakých Slovenska
RNDr. Branislav Mamojka, CSc. Chairman of Únia nevidiacich a slabozrakých Slovenska
Únia nevidiacich a slabozrakých Slovenska is a civic association that brings together blind and partially sighted citizens, their supporters, friends and parents. At present it has over 5 500 members organized in 69 basic organizations. Its services, counselling and activities are provided to visually impaired people in every region of Slovakia. Únia nevidiacich a slabozrakých Slovenska was founded in 1990 and on 7 April 2010 it celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding.