The Center for Employment of Persons with Disabilities (CEPD) has called on the government to institute an employment policy that compels public and private institutions to give about 10% employment quota of their labour force to Persons living with disabilities (PWDs).
“As we celebrate May Day, we’re asking ourselves how many persons living with disabilities will also be celebrating as have made impact in the labour market,” Alexander Tetteh, the Executive President of the Center for Employment of Persons with Disabilities (CEPD) made this call on TV3 Midday News, May 1, 2022.
He conceded that the association also has a role to play in ensuring that persons with disabilities will be supported to acquire employable skills.
“We are also training our persons with disabilities themselves. We have a part to play. We are going to train them so that they will be employable in the formal sector and the informal sector” he said
Alex Tetteh further revealed that Person’s Living with Disabilities who lost their livelihoods due the cessation of the collection of road tolls, but was promised alternative employment at other sectors of the Ministry of Roads and High Ways have not been employed and their two months salaries are in arears.
“Those people are still at home and there is no plan for them to be recalled” Mr. Tetteh alleges.
He indicated that, at a point it was realized that the road was not even safe for a person with disability to be in the toll booth. Mr. Tetteh made reference to the case where by one of the persons with disability who were managing the Tema Toll Booth got killed by a truck that ran into the booth.
CEPD welcomes the idea of giving employment quota to persons with disabilities but emphasizes the need to ensure an enabling working environment for persons with disabilities to be able to offer their full potentials for the growth and development of the country.
“I think that we need a legislation on employment that will give us a quota system. So, all government institutions or companies must have guiding rules that require them to employ at least 10% or 5% of persons with disabilities in their work force.”
He opined that having an enforceable employment policy that gives a quota to persons with disability will enable their association and stakeholders to monitor and evaluate its impact. Also, it would be easier to offer the appropriate sanctions to those who will fall short or violate the policy.
“If there are rules, it will leave employers with no other choice than to comply” Mr. Tetteh told TV3.
The Executive President of CEPD further asserts that ensuring considerable employment of Persons with Disability requires the commitment of government first because government is the biggest employer.
“All stakeholders, all of them, everybody has a part to play, and of course, industries and private institutions all have parts to play to employ persons with disabilities to ensure that their work force has persons with disabilities in it, to ensure diversity and inclusion; but government need to show the way, government need to set example” he stressed.
Thousands of workers from all sectors of the Ghanaian labour force today marked the 2022 May Day Celebrations across the country under the theme “Protecting Jobs and Income in the COVID-19 Era and beyond”.
The National May Day Parade was held at the Black Star Square with the President and the Vice President among other dignitaries and Trade Union Leaders in attendance.
By Samuel Afriyie Owusu|3news.com|Ghana