Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Czechia (Ratification: 1993)

Other comments on C159

Direct Request

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Article 2 of the Convention. National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the detailed report and statistical data provided by the Government in October 2010, including comments from the Confederation of Industry and Transport (CIT). In reply to the previous direct request, the Government reports that vocational rehabilitation issues are a standard part of comprehensive national programmes focused on the situation of persons with disabilities. It further states that a project aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the system supporting employment of persons with disabilities was launched by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to be implemented between September 2009 and July 2011. The Government indicates that this project aims to remove barriers and create proper conditions for supporting the inclusion of this disadvantaged group in the labour market. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report an assessment of the measures implemented until July 2011 to remove barriers and create better conditions for persons with disabilities in the open labour market. The Government is also requested to include practical information, including statistics (disaggregated as much as possible by age, sex, and the nature of the disability), extracts from reports, studies or inquiries on the matters covered by the Convention (Part V of the report form).

Article 3. Access to the open labour market and services made available for persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open labour market are promoted through protected jobs and protected workshops. Both are created through an agreement with the Labour Office. It also indicates that the Employment Act provides employer benefits in the form of a lump sum subsidy from the incurred payroll costs per employed person with disability and that since 1 January 2009, the monthly contribution amounts to 8,000 Czech koruna (CZK). The Employment Act also stipulates a mandatory share of persons with disabilities to be employed by employers with a workforce of over 25 employees. Statistical data provided by the Government indicates that labour offices subsidized the creation of new protected jobs, jobs at protected workshops, or self-employment activities for persons with disabilities totalling 1,606 jobs in 2006, 1,284 in 2007, 974 in 2008, and 1,231 in 2009. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on the measures adopted to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, and to indicate whether the vocational rehabilitation measures are made available to all categories of persons with disabilities.

Article 4. Equality of opportunities and treatment. In reply to the previous direct request, the Government indicates that the scope of the Employment Act has been extended by Act No. 198/2009 Coll., the Anti-Discrimination Act, which prohibits direct and indirect discrimination on the ground of disability in the sphere of right to employment, access to employment, profession, business, labour and service relations and other employment relations including remuneration issues. The Committee also notes that the National Plan for the Creation of Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities 2010–14 was adopted by Government Resolution No. 253 of 29 March 2010. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on any special measures aimed at effective equality of opportunity and treatment between workers with disabilities, whether men or women, and other workers.

Article 5. Consultation of the social partners. The Committee notes that the Government Committee for People with Disabilities has established an expert group for employment of persons with disabilities which consists of government representatives and social partners. This group evaluates practical experience and findings, and then formulates proposals and recommendations of system changes in the area of employment of persons with disabilities. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the manner in which representative employers’ and workers’ organizations, and representative organizations of and for persons with disabilities are consulted on the matters covered by the Convention.