Handicapped protesters call on "Miller to have mercy and resign"

Around 600 handicapped and pensioners demonstrated in front of the Sejm yesterday in a protest against government plans to limiting expenditures on social welfare. The picket was organized by NSZZ Solidarność Niepełnosprawnych. The protesters held banners reading, "Hausner - you protect those behind scandals and are stealing from the deaf" and, "Miller have mercy and resign." The handicapped have prepared a report and description of their plight which was handed over to government representatives. According to the organizer of the protest, Jadwiga Wcisło, the demonstrators object to plans to "verify" that they are indeed handicapped to ensure that they did not obtain this status through corruption, as well as the Economy Minister's ideas of removing the privileged status that companies that employ disabled workers. The Solidarność delegation, headed by Jadwiga Wcisło and the Solidarity Union leader Janusz Śniadek, met with the Sejm Deputy Speaker Tomasz Nałęcz. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) A.K.