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Benefits Continue to Decline
In 2007, the financial benefits for employees in workshops for adapted work continued to decline. According to the Federal Association for Rehabilitation (BAR), payments for integration services have been reduced by 3,8 percent in 2007 in comparison to the previous year.
All institutions incorporated by the BAR have continued their policy of budget cuts in this area since 2004. Back in 2005, 4,6 percent fewer financial resources were spent for the integration of persons with disabilities into working life.
As the chairman of BAG WfbM, Günter Mosen, pointed out, the cost reduction sums up to about 300 million euros as a result of this policy. Moreover, the BAR statistics show that during the same period, 40.000 additional employment offers have been created in workshops for adapted work. As a consequence, member organisations of BAG WfbM have to support more and more disabled employees with decreasing funds. This proves that the commonly used allegation, workshops for adapted work are responsible for increasing integration assistance costs, is wrong.
A study financed by BAG WfbM and carried out by the University of Stuttgart has shown, how much the public funding of workshops for adapted work decreased during the years 2002 to 2006. In addition, since 1996, the workshops’ service charges for participation in working life were frozen. If adjustments ever took place, they were always below the annual inflation rates. Günter Mosen underlines that BAG WfbM members have to fulfil a legal mandate. He therefore demands that funding institutions finally acknowledge that the capacity of further savings is more than exhausted. “More for less is no viable solution. Any further cuts would effectively imply a reduction of social achievements,” Mosen stated.
All institutions incorporated by the BAR have continued their policy of budget cuts in this area since 2004. Back in 2005, 4,6 percent fewer financial resources were spent for the integration of persons with disabilities into working life.
As the chairman of BAG WfbM, Günter Mosen, pointed out, the cost reduction sums up to about 300 million euros as a result of this policy. Moreover, the BAR statistics show that during the same period, 40.000 additional employment offers have been created in workshops for adapted work. As a consequence, member organisations of BAG WfbM have to support more and more disabled employees with decreasing funds. This proves that the commonly used allegation, workshops for adapted work are responsible for increasing integration assistance costs, is wrong.
A study financed by BAG WfbM and carried out by the University of Stuttgart has shown, how much the public funding of workshops for adapted work decreased during the years 2002 to 2006. In addition, since 1996, the workshops’ service charges for participation in working life were frozen. If adjustments ever took place, they were always below the annual inflation rates. Günter Mosen underlines that BAG WfbM members have to fulfil a legal mandate. He therefore demands that funding institutions finally acknowledge that the capacity of further savings is more than exhausted. “More for less is no viable solution. Any further cuts would effectively imply a reduction of social achievements,” Mosen stated.
