Employers discouraged from employing persons with disability

The Malta Employers Association this morning filed a judicial protest claiming that the wrong implementation of legislation aimed at promoting social inclusion was discriminatory with disabled people.

Employers were also discouraged from taking on persons with a disability.

In a statement this evening, the Malta Employers Association said the legislation as it was being implemented was more aimed at generating revenue, through fines, than increasing the employment levels of persons with a disability.

The MEA said the social dialogue process was ignored when the law, which included more incentives in favour of companies employing persons with disabilities but also significant fines on employers who fell short of the quotas, was amended.

“Unfortunately, considering the manner in which the ETC is implementing this legislation, employers are being placed in a position whereby they cannot fulfil their obligations,” the MEA said.

It noted that employers did not have access to the ETC register of persons with a disability, to which employees with a disability could register or not. Employers, the MEA said, could never officially know who of their employees had a disability and were on...