Declared the Best Employers for Persons with Disabilities in 2008

The titles of the best employers for persons with disabilities in 2008 were awarded to the City of Koprivnica in the public administration category, the telecommunications company Geneza in the small and medium-sized enterprises category, and the company Kuehne & Nagel in the large companies category.

The award ceremony took place on Wednesday evening at the Sheraton hotel in Zagreb, where the awards were presented to employers who employed the most persons with disabilities this year by Vincent Degert, head of the European Commission Delegation in Croatia, Jadranka Kosor, Deputy Prime Minister, and Mirjana Dobranović, President of the Croatian Association of Persons with Disabilities.

– I am particularly pleased that employers in Croatia have accepted persons with disabilities and that they have started to employ them. However, there are still numerous prejudices in our society that we must overcome together, and today’s award ceremony proves that persons with disabilities represent a significant workforce potential in Croatia – said Kosor as she presented the award in the large enterprises category to Emil Justinic, an employee with disabilities from Kuehne & Nagel.

Vincent Degert, head of the European Commission Delegation in Croatia, awarded the prize in the public enterprises category, which was received by Nino Štubljak, an employee with disabilities in the City of Koprivnica’s office for property management and city construction.

– I am glad to have participated in the award presentation and I am extremely happy that the award went to Koprivnica. Their city administration has employed a large number of persons with disabilities and has created a very pleasant atmosphere for their work. I would also like to commend other public institutions, as the progress in employing persons with disabilities in Croatia is visible – said Degert.

The company Geneza, which operates in telecommunications, has employed more than 30 persons with disabilities this year through the Croatian Employment Service, and they have proven to be the best small enterprise employing persons with disabilities. The award was presented to them by Mirjana Dobranović, President of the Croatian Association of Persons with Disabilities.

– Geneza certainly deserves this recognition, as they have employed a large number of persons with disabilities in a completely new activity in the telecommunications sector this year, as well as last year. These are very serious jobs that open up the possibility of proving the competencies of persons with disabilities – said Dobranović.

Along with the award program, a publication titled ‘Employment of Unemployed Persons with Disabilities’ was presented, created by Leijla Kiš Glavaš, Višnja Majsec Sobota, and Aleksandra Gavrilović from the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Zagreb. The study they conducted on a sample of 600 unemployed persons with disabilities showed that more than 50 percent had no work experience, and that more than 30 percent believe that tax incentives are the only reason why employers hire them. (Siniša Maksimović, recorded by: Željko Jelenski)