House of Peoples adopts reports of the Fund for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities for 2023 and 2024

(Patria) - At today's session of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the reports on the work of the Fund for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities for 2023 and 2024 were unanimously adopted.

Along with them, the House of Peoples also confirmed the reports of the Management and Supervisory Boards on the Fund's operations, as well as the Report on the Execution of the Financial Plan for the same period.

Fund Director Ahmet Baljić assessed that the unanimous adoption of the reports represents confirmation of the continuity of the institution's successful and responsible work.

- The adoption of the reports without a single vote against or abstention is for us a clear confirmation that the Fund enjoys the trust of system institutions. It is also recognition of the daily efforts we invest to ensure equal opportunities and sustainable employment for persons with disabilities - said Baljić.

He emphasized that the achieved results confirm the Fund's consistency in fulfilling its core role - providing support to persons with disabilities and strengthening their integration into the labor market.

However, he warned that long-term systemic problems still exist that hinder further progress.

- More than fifteen years have passed since the adoption of the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, and the mechanisms that would ensure employers comply with their obligations have not yet been fully established.

According to the Law, employers are obliged to employ one person with a disability for every 16 employees or, if they fail to do so, pay a special contribution in the amount of 25% of the average net salary in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for each unfilled quota.

Nevertheless, practice shows that these obligations are often not respected, which clearly indicates that the labor market still does not recognize the importance of employing persons with disabilities - explained Baljić.

He stressed that the lack of effective control over the implementation of legal obligations is not only a legal but also a social issue.

- When employers do not employ persons with disabilities, nor pay the prescribed contributions, it becomes a matter of social responsibility, not just legal discipline.

If there is no systemic response and better enforcement of the law is not ensured, the growing pressure on the refund system could, in the long term, jeopardize the existing level of employment of persons with disabilities - warned Baljić.

Finally, he pointed to the need for a new legal solution that would ensure a more modern, efficient, and sustainable framework for the employment of persons with disabilities.

- It is time for a new law that will establish clear and enforceable mechanisms, create a more incentive environment for employers, and ensure the long-term stability of employment for persons with disabilities. We owe this to them, but also to a society that strives for equal opportunities for all - concluded Baljić.