Kinawawang baldado

Bata pa ako ng mabaldado ang aking kanang paa. Pero ‘di ito naging hadlang upang makapagtapos ako ng aking pag-aaral. Nagtapos ako ng Business Management.

Nahirapan akong humanap ng trabaho. Kaya kahit maganda naman ang credentials ko, clerk ang kinahantungan ko sa isang private company. Five years na po akong clerk sa aming kompanya.

Hindi sana ako masisiraan ng loob kung hindi lumabas ang memo na ipino-promote po ng kompanya ang officemate kong mas bata kaysa sa ‘kin. Nagulat po pati mga ka-opisina ko dahil mas nauna ‘ko pumasok sa kanya at mas dapat akong ma-promote kaysa kanya.

Pakiramdam ko, kaya hindi umuusad ang aking career ay dahil sa disability ko.

May batas po ba against discrimination of PWDs in the workplace? –Angelo Mercano, Quezon City

May Magna Carta tayo for disabled persons. Under the said Magna Carta, discrimination in the workplace is prohibited.

Discrimination can be any of the following: (a) Limiting, segregating or classifying a disabled job applicant in such a manner that adversely affects his work opportunities; (b) Using qualification standards, employment tests or other selection criteria that screen out or tend to screen out a disabled person unless such standards, tests or other selection criteria are shown to be job-related for the position in question and are consistent with business necessity; (c) Utilizing standards, criteria, or methods of administration that: (1) have the effect of discrimination on the basis of disability; (2) perpetuate the discrimination of others who are subject to common administrative control. d) Providing less compensation, such as salary, wage or other forms of remuneration and fringe benefits, to a qualified disabled employee, by reason of his disability, than the amount to which a non-disabled person performing the same work is entitled; (e) Favoring a non-disabled employee over a qualified disabled employee with respect to promotion, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants, solely on account of the latter’s disability; (f) Re-assigning or transferring a disabled employee to a job or position he cannot perform by reason of his disability; (g) Dismissing or terminating the services of a disabled employee by reason of his disability unless the employer can prove that he impairs the satisfactory performance of the work involved to the prejudice of the business entity: Provided, however, That the employer first sought to provide reasonable accommodations for disabled persons; (h) Failing to select or administer in the most effective manner employment tests which accurately reflect the skills, aptitude or other factor of the disabled applicant or employee that such tests purports to measure, rather than the impaired sensory, manual or speaking skills of such applicant or employee, if any; and (i) Excluding disabled persons from membership in labor unions or similar organizations.

Maaari mong idulog ang ‘yong problema sa higher management n’yo upang maimbestigahan kung may nagaganap ngang discrimination dahil sa ‘yong kapansanan. Kung walang aksyon ang management, maaari kang magsampa sa hukuman ng kaso against your company’s management for violation of your rights under the Magna Carta for the disabled.