A blind woman is getting paid USD 2.30 (Rs 160) to untangle Air New Zealand earphones. She works for Althus Enterprises which have been giving jobs to differently-abled people. She has been employed with the organisation for the past 50 years now. However, the woman says that the money hardly covers her bus ride to and from work. The woman works for six to eight hours from Monday to Thursday. Taiwanese Man Swallows Apple Airpod! After Passing Through Digestive System It Still Works Fine, Calls it 'Magical'.
She was quoted as saying, "But taking home $2 an hour, that hardly covers what I pay for transport, and it would be nice if we were paid enough to actually have a little bit of extras." She said that she has not received any benefits or allowances from the government. NZ Herald quoted an Air New Zealand spokeswoman as saying that the airline did not decide how much Altus paid its employees. In New Zealand, the minimum wage for an adult is USD 17.70 (Rs 1,228) per hour, however, a company can apply for an exemption permit for employees with disabilities. 16-Year-Old Malaysian Boy Dies While Sleeping With Headphones On, Gets Electrocuted When Phone Was Charging.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Social Development minister Carmel Sepuloni said, "The policy is discriminatory towards disabled people and a commitment was made to reviewing it as part of the 2014-2018 Disability Action Plan. Altus chief executive Martin Wylie said the wages were set as per the individual's benefits and Labour Inspector. He said, "These people can't do equal work, their productive capacity is extremely low which is why they work here. It's really to help them develop, we're a charity focused just on finding employment for those people who couldn't otherwise work."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 25, 2019 06:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).