The Supreme Chamber of Control (NIK) has released an audit of government institutions that shows that  the offices are hiring far fewer handicapped adults than law mandates.

Polish law stipulates that government offices are required to ensure that 6 percent of their workforce is made up of disabled people. If this number should be less, the institutions are required to pay a fine to the National Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Fund (PFRON) which supports the 5.4 million handicapped people in the country.

The audit, covering a time frame from 2005-2009, shows that only four out of the 46 ministries audited hire a handicapped workforce at the required 6 percent level. NIK reports that seven ministries don’t even have up to one percent of their workforce made up o disabled persons – including the Economy Ministry and the Ministry of Culture.

NIK reports that, in 2008, the Finance Ministry was forced to pay 893,000 zloty (about 220,000 euro) to  PFRON for violating the law.

The auditing chamber recommends that the national government should play a bigger role in promoting the hiring of disabled people in the professional world. (mmj)

Source: Gazeta Wyborcza