ILO, global firms to enhance rights of workers with disabilities

ELEVEN international companies have become the first signatories of the ILO’s newly created Global Business and Disability Network Charter as part of measures to increase the rights of persons with disabilities in their operations.

The Charter expresses their commitment to promoting and including persons with disabilities throughout their operations worldwide.

It covers a wide range of areas that include protecting staff with disabilities from any kind of discrimination, making companies premises and communication to staff progressively accessible to all employees with disabilities.

The Director General of the ILO< Guy Ryder said: “Employing persons with disability is not just a good moral cause, it is also good for business. The lack of equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities often means lives of poverty and social exclusion.” He stressed that by honouring the commitments of the Charter; the private sector will be showing real leadership in making it possible for people with disabilities to have productive work and to live in dignity. “The first signatories companies to sign the Charter will help us spread a simple but essential message: employing persons with disability is not just a good moral cause, it is also good for business. This new Charter can also make a substantial contribution to realizing many goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he explained. Speaking on behalf of the signatories, the Network steering committee chairperson, Wendy Orr, said: “We are proud to be among the first companies to sign the Business Charter on Disability. This is one step further in demonstrating our commitment for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labour market. We believe and have experienced how an inclusive and diverse workforce provides opportunities for employers, employees and society overall. We believe and have experienced how an inclusive and diverse workforce provides opportunities for employers, employees and society overall.” Orr encouraged other major companies to join the movement and sign the Charter in the coming months. All signatories are members of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network, which bring businesses together to promote disability inclusion by highlighting the business advantages of employing people with disabilities. It also facilitates the exchange of knowledge and good practices between companies, company networks and the ILO.