Looking for a Job in Russia, or, Missing One Little Piece of Paper
By Maksim Litvenenko, Sputnik Organization of Disabled People, Yekaterinburg (Translated from Russian into English by Erin Trouth)
A recent experience taught me a very important lesson - without a certain piece of paper, I am a nothing, but with it, I am a full-fledged person!
It all began quite simply in November 2000. I went in to the local office of the Ministry of Social Services to be examined by the medical commission and was declared "unfit to perform any type of work." Without an official certificate saying that I was capable of working, any attempt to find a job and supplement my 500 ruble [15 dollar] monthly pension would be fruitless
I soon found a potential job, but they refused to take someone without a certificate stating I was fit to work. I went back to the Ministry of Social Services in hopes of obtaining written permission to work. The doctor who examined me wrung her hands and sadly assured me that even putting stamps on envelopes (her exact words) would be seriously detrimental to my condition. I might end up completely paralyzed in a week. She, of course, would be condemned by my distraught relatives, and besides would not sleep nights worrying about me. Suddenly, after saying all of this, she made a suggestion. "Alright, I'll give you a class-II disability instead of class-III. Then you can work." [This change would also decrease or eliminate some of the disability benefits available, including decreasing the size of my pension ].
Maybe you think this is an exaggeration, but unfortunately this all really happened, and I am describing it with as much accuracy as possible.
Learning about my rights
Thanks to the doctor's offer, I was able to get a job at the Sputnik organization of disabled people. Actually, they did not even require that ridiculous piece of paper. I became involved in the Disabled Youth for Equal Rights and Opportunities Project. I started leading seminars on disability rights and awareness issues. I provided legal assistance to disabled people who were in trouble. I learned that working is a right to which I am guaranteed by the Constitution and by the "Russian Law on Social Protection of Disabled People."
One day I happened to show my certificate to the director of Sputnik and the coordinator of the Disabled Youth for Equal Rights and Opportunities Project. They were very surprised to find out that I had been prohibited from all types of work and offered their help. The first step was organizing a roundtable discussion with representatives of the regional Ministry of Social Services. During the discussion, the regional director of the Ministry assured us that his office would no longer declare people incapable of working.
"Unable to work-that's that!"
Soon after that I went back to the Ministry in the hope of getting my certificate changed. My hopes were in vain. The administrator who handled my appeal only pointed dryly at the certificate and said, "Look. It says right here 'unable to work.' So that's that." I was shocked and offended, but I decided that I would not give up.
For our next step, our organization organized a seminar on "Professional development and employment potential of young disabled people." More than 50 people attended, including representatives of the regional division of the Ministry of Social Services as well as city divisions from throughout the Sverdlovsk region.
As part of the seminar, I gave a talk detailing my difficulties in being granted the right to work. In addition, all seminar participants were given copies of "My Small Victories," an article I wrote for a Sverdlovsk regional newspaper about this situation. They were also given enlarged copies of my "pink disgrace," the ill-fated certificate declaring me incapable of work. Other presenters discussed examples of employment of disabled people abroad, including people with more serious mental and physical disabilities than I have. The director of Sputnik told the attendees, "Not everyone sitting in this hall could write an article as well as Maksim, and yet you tell him that all he can do is sit on the sofa all day because he is incapable of working!"
After our presentations, one of the government employees spoke. She told us of the positive reforms taking place in the Ministry, and assured us that stories like mine should never happen again.
Back to the Ministry
So once again I went to the regional office of the Ministry for a new certificate. I sat and waited my turn. My grandmother - ready to stand up for me in any situation - had come with me. After so many disappointments I hardly dared hope for success. But fortune finally smiled upon me! The doctor who saw me had been one of the participants at our seminar, and she recognized me immediately. She quickly took my documents and exchanged them for the long-awaited certificate declaring me capable of working. My grandmother was even a bit disappointed that she did not have the chance to stand up for me.
Advice to others in a similar situation
I think that the secret to my success was in all the support I had from my persistent and well-informed colleagues at Sputnik, as well as in my own direct participation in the roundtable and seminar. The social service bureaucrats saw that they could not simply brush me aside, so they gave me permission to work.
How would I advise someone who might end up in a similar situation? Most importantly, you must be persistent, never retreat a single step, and always keep working towards your goal. You need to know your legal rights. Finally, you should use any opportunity to get local disability groups involved, and together you can achieve your goals.
The Project, "Disabled Youth for Equal Rights and Opportunities," sponsored by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was carried out in 5 regions of Russia from June, 2000 - December, 2001, and managed by Perspektiva, together with its regional partners.
|
