SCANDALOUS UNDEREMPLOYMENT OF BLIND PEOPLE MUST BE TACKLED - LIZ LYNNE MEP

12.00.00am GMT Mon 29th Oct 2007

Liz Lynne MEP speaking at the reception on workplace difficulties for blind people

Blind and partially-sighted people's talents are being wasted because existing laws are not being fully implemented, access to information and education is difficult to obtain and discrimination still exists in the workplace, according to a Liberal Democrat Euro MP.

Liz Lynne MEP, who is Vice-President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee and Vice-President of the European Parliament's Disability Intergroup, hosted a meeting in the European Parliament last night to highlight the continuing difficulties encountered by blind and partially-sighted people in the workplace and to discuss possible further EU action on this issue.

Speaking today, Liz said:

"It is scandalous that in the UK 66% of blind and partially-sighted people of working age are unemployed; in Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic this figure rises to about 80%.

"We must first and foremost implement existing legislation, particularly the European employment legislation, which outlaws discrimination on the grounds of disability in the workplace and requires employers to make a "reasonable adjustment" to enable the participation of disabled workers. Trade unions, NGO's and employers must play their role and inform people of their rights."

"I am delighted that the Commission has now agreed to bring forward new measures next year to outlaw discrimination across the EU outside of employment, but we must also continue our campaign for a specific disability directive under Article 13 to outlaw discrimination in access to goods and services.

"There is no point in paying lip service to disabled people's rights. We have to continue the fight for all EU citizens, disabled or non-disabled, to be treated equally."

A long-time anti-smoking campaigner, Liz also commented on a cause of avoidable sight loss where action is needed:

"The link between smoking and blindness is now firmly established. It is vital the European Commission develop an appropriate warning of this danger to be included on all cigarette packets."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Photo caption: Liz Lynne MEP speaking at the reception on workplace difficulties for blind people (l to r: Liz Lynne, Andy Taylor (Visage Coordinator, Vision=E3 Partnership), Grzegorz Mruk and translator)

The reception was hosted by Liz Lynne and involved the Vision=E3 partnership. This comprises the Visage project (UK), the Partnership for improving the access of the blind to the labour market (Poland), SIZAR (Slovakia), Tyfloemployability (the Czech Republic) and The Per Linguas mundi ad laborem partnership (Poland) and aims at ensuring a more united approach to the training and employment of blind and partially sighted people who are seeking work or perhaps are in danger of losing it. More information at http://www.visioneu.org/.

Liz Lynne MEP was the European Parliament's rapporteur on the 2005 United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. She continues to campaign for the convention's signing and ratification. Both Poland and the UK have signed the Convention but they have yet to ratify it and have also failed to sign the vital optional protocol.

Liz Lynne MEP was author of the 2007 joint report for the European Parliament on Social Protection, Social Inclusion and Social Reality Stocktaking which was adopted by the European Parliament earlier this month. The report is the European Parliament's response to the adoption by the European Council in Spring and the European Commission of reports on 'social reality stocktaking'. The Parliament's report comes ahead of the revision of the Lisbon Agenda and the mid term review of social policy. Please find a link to the report below:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A6-2007-0400+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN