Haidar urges enforcement of disability employment law

BEIRUT — Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar on Thursday called on all public institutions and private companies to enforce legislation on employing people with disabilities, giving them until the end of the year to comply.

Law 220-2000 requires private companies and public institutions to include a quota of 3 percent of people with disabilities on their staff. "Work is not a favor for these people, because there is a law that guarantees them the right to work and mandates that 3 percent of the workforce in any institution or company consist of people with special needs," the minister emphasized.

"The Ministry of Labor will enforce the law, and we will work with all institutions to encourage the integration of people with special needs into the labor market, each institution according to its needs," the minister said on the occasion.

"We will grant a deadline until the end of this year for the percentage required by law to be applied and for all institutions to comply," added Haidar, specifying that the ministry's inspection team will begin its work at the start of next year.

Haidar's remarks came during a visit with a worker with disabilities, Mohammad Hassan Jaafar, at his workplace. The minister paid tribute to him "in recognition of his exceptional efforts, making him an example to follow in terms of willpower, determination and generosity."

The man, who works at a hotel in Beirut, is now integrated into professional life after two years of training at an institution. "Mohammad is a worker like any other, he has all the rights and responsibilities," the minister stressed.