Dear Members of Parliament of Ukraine!
After the People's Deputies of Ukraine refused to adopt the scandalous, unlawful and destructive draft Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Work" (registration No. 5344-d) (hereinafter - the Draft Law 5344-d) early last year, which violates many provisions of the current legislation on support for people with disabilities and the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, by the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of February 23, 2023 No. 2935-IX, this draft law was sent to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Veterans' Rights for preparation for consideration in the repeated first reading.
All this time, people with disabilities and their associations have been hoping that the draft law 5344-d would be improved with their suggestions in mind so that their rights would not be violated.
After lengthy discussions with the factions and promises from the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Veterans' Rights, Hanna Tretyakova, that all scandalous, illegal and destructive provisions of draft law 5344-d would be removed from its text,
This draft law was adopted by the Parliament of Ukraine on May 30, 2023, in the first reading.
For a long time, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights discussed the proposals of public associations of persons with disabilities to the draft law 5344-d and promised to take into account the proposals of civil society.
And suddenly, on January 17, 2024, at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights, a comparative table to draft law 5344-d was presented.
Public associations of people with disabilities were shocked by this comparative table, as it out of 922 amendments, only 11 committee amendments. At the same time, the remaining 911 amendments were marked as being under consideration.
As it turned out, people with disabilities and their public associations were deceived and 911 amendments were simply rejectedOn January 17, 2024, without any warning or discussion, the Chair of the Committee H.M. Tretyakova put Draft Law 5344-d to a vote with its subsequent submission to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for approval in the second reading.
Thus, not only people with disabilities and their associations were misled, but also you, the people's deputies of Ukraine, because you were promised to finalize the draft law 5344-d in such a way that all its scandalous, illegal and destructive provisions would be removed so as not to violate the rights of people with disabilities and not to worsen their social support and employment.
In accordance with the above, we draw attention to the fact that fromThe draft law 5344-d violates the rights of people with disabilities and therefore contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Draft Law 5344-d, in particular:
- abolishes funding for social, professional, physical culture, sports and labor rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
- excludes the definition of labor rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and the entire article on this type of rehabilitation. It seems contradictory that the draft law on ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities to work excludes from the legislation the norms on labor rehabilitation, instead of standardizing and developing this type of rehabilitation;
- cancels funding for printing literature in Braille for blind citizens of Ukraine. At the same time, the draft law contains declarative provisions that the state will ensure the production of audiobooks and the printing of literature in Braille. It does not specify who exactly will be responsible for this, nor at what expense it will be carried out;
- cancels (as of the date of entry into force) financial support for hundreds of operating enterprises of public associations of persons with disabilities, which today employ thousands of people with disabilities, including those enterprises that provide their products to the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- cancels (tentatively from January 01, 2025) tax benefits for hundreds of enterprises of public associations of people with disabilities, which today employ thousands of people with disabilities;
- declares tax benefits and financial support for non-existent labor integration enterprises and protected employment enterprises.
Draft law 5344-d does not comply with the Budget and Tax Codes of Ukraine.
The draft law 5344-d does not contain any financial and economic calculations. Therefore, some innovations may lead to critical consequences.
Based on the above and in the context of globalization, the problems of people with disabilities as a result of the war, we ask you NOT to vote for the scandalous, illegal and destructive draft law 5344-d.
We, citizens of Ukraine with disabilities, who are finding it incredibly difficult to live today, hope for your understanding and support!
Draft law 5344-d should not be voted in the Parliament of Ukraine!
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