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19/04/2006: Her Excellency Minister Kathleen Van Brempt presents Certificate of Appreciation to 25 sheltered workshop employees working at Janssen Pharmaceutica.

Beerse, April 19, 2006 – Kathleen Van Brempt, Flemish Minister for Public Transport, Social Economy and Equal Opportunities, today presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the 25 employees of the Amival sheltered workshop, Turnhout, who work at Janssen Pharmaceutica.

With the presentation of these certificates, Janssen Pharmaceutica wishes to express and underline its appreciation of these 25 seconded employees and to thank them for their daily commitment and enthusiasm.

The cooperation between Janssen Pharmaceutica and Amival dates back to 1999.  The initiative was devised and developed by the Jobs for Disabled Persons Task Force set up by the company’s Works Council. In 1999 a start was made with a pilot project. A year later, following a positive assessment, the project was expanded. The tasks performed by the Amival employees at Janssen Pharmaceutica mainly involve maintenance and cleaning duties and some minor preparatory work.

One of the Amival employees, Luc Van Den Putte, was especially singled out for praise. He received a special commendation for his innovative ideas, the documentation of his activities and the improvement of the work process.

The cooperation is a win-win situation for all parties:

- for the employees concerned, it offers them the opportunity to become fully integrated in a normal work environment;
- for the Janssen employees who are directly involved, they are very devoted and enthusiastic colleagues;
- for the company, it offers the possibility of outsourcing tasks without affecting the employment of current staff;
- for the sheltered workplace, it offers the possibility of giving its own employees more opportunities.
 
 

Herman Van Cauteren, responsible for the company’s worldwide pre-clinical research, was one of the founding members of the initiative: ‘This is an important day for us. In a way it is also a celebration of many years of very good cooperation with Amival and the Amival employees. One of the important aspects of the success is that they are employed in the department and work as fully integrated members of the team. They work together with our employees, they consult together and, what’s more important, they have a positive leverage effect on the already good atmosphere at work.
We certainly hope that this initiative will be followed by similar ones.’

Jan Boeckx, Amival’s director, emphasized the importance of employee outplacement. ‘The fact that our people feel accepted in a different environment has a noticeable effect on the general welfare of each and every one of them. They are able to develop themselves and gain skills much more effectively, and at all events they are very satisfied.’
Minister Van Brempt emphasized the importance of initiatives like this one. ‘It is very important in our society to give disabled persons equal opportunities. The great thing about this project is that the employees from the sheltered workshop are professionally supported by Amival, while they are actually working in an ordinary company like many other people. The Flemish Government encourages this kind of integration and it is included in our policy.’

Amival was founded in 1963 and started life in the Beguinage of Turnhout. The sheltered workshop offers employment to people with physical disabilities and people with mental or psychiatric disorders. Amival employs about 400 disabled persons and approximately 50 staff in support functions. Since its founding, the sheltered workshop has evolved and is today a business with customers in Belgium and the Netherlands.

For more information
Amival – Jan Boeckx – Tel.: 014/44.34.24.
Janssen Pharmaceutica – Stefan Gijssels – Tel.: 014/60.30.30.
Spokesperson for Minister Van Brempt –
Koen Santermans – Tel.: 0499/59.39.14.
 
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