ILO adopts code of practice on managing disability in the workplace

The International Labour Organisation adopted a new code of conduct in November 2001, aimed at encouraging employers to recruit, retain and promote people with disabilities. It also sets out the role that employers' organisations, employee representatives and relevant authorities can play.

A new code of practice on managing disability in the workplace was adopted by the governing body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at a meeting in Geneva on 1–16 November 2001. The code was publicised on 3 December, which was the International Day of Disabled Persons.

The code provides guidance to companies on issues such as recruiting people with disabilities and maintaining employment for workers who become disabled. The ILO maintains that this is the first code of its kind. It is based on the following principles:

• people with disabilities who have the right skills and who are in the right job are capable and reliable employees;

• it is in the business interests of employers to manage disability issues in the workplace, as this can lead to savings in terms of time lost, insurance and healthcare payments and costs associated with recruiting and retaining staff;

• all comprehensive disability management strategies should include provision for recruitment, promotion and retention;

• the management of disability issues forms part of good human resource development practice;

• employers can benefit from recruiting people with disabilities either directly, after a period of training or after a trial period;

• the relevant authorities can play a part in this in ensuring that the right services, such as placement, vocational rehabilitation, skills training and technical support services, are available to employers. They can also ensure that all relevant ministries take account of the needs of people with disabilities in order to aid their integration into employment;

• employers' organisations can play an important role in promoting this issue and in advising and supporting employers;

• workers' representatives can also play an important role by representing the interests of disabled workers and championing employment opportunities for them; and

• organisations representing people with disabilities can play an invaluable advisory role in developing disability management strategies.

The ILO notes that there are some 610 million people with disabilities worldwide, of whom 386 million are of working age. However, unemployment among people with disabilities is significantly higher than among the general population and that many of the obstacles faced by people with disabilities stem from social barriers rather than from a genuine inability to work.

The ILO states that the code can be applied by all employers, in both the developed and the developing world.