A strong partnership and shared strategy between employers, unions and surrounding communities was imperative in addressing the ravages caused by diseases such as HIV/Aids and tuberculosis (TB) in the workplace, said International Labour Organisation (ILO) senior technical advisor on health Simphiwe Mabhele.
Mabhele said despite more than three decades of advocacy about the effects of the diseases, he was concerned that the management of human immune virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids) including tuberculosis as workplace diseases seemed to have been relegated to the periphery.
“Despite awareness campaigns a stigma index still shows that people still have fears around HIV/Aids disease. It is not clear why this reaction still prevail - whether it is because of lack of information or other reasons,” Mabhele cautioned.
Mabhele was speaking at a Department of Labour (DoL) organised workshop that was held at the Eastern Cape Training Centre (ETC) in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape today (August 22).
The gathering is used by DoL’s Employment Equity (EE) Advisory Unit Directorate to outline the newly unveiled key steps for successful implementation of the revised HIV/Aids and TB Code, and the technical assistance guideline (TAG) policy in the world of work.
The national roadshows are also used by the department as part of an annual campaign to provide information about the Public Register and guidance for successful EE reporting.
The new HIV/Aids Code and its TAG were signed and gazetted by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant recently.
The new guidelines and accompanying TAG cover aspects relating to: elimination of unfair-discrimination and promotion of equal opportunity and fair treatment, using a multilateral approach to deal with the disease(s), promoting a safe working environment, management of HIV and Aids plus TB and the world of work, monitoring and evaluation.
Mabhele said the review was also informed by the ILO’s Recommendation concerning HIV and Aids and the World of Work, 2010 (No. 200) adopted by governments, employers and trade unions in June 2010 and recognition that HIV/Aids and TB were problem diseases of workplace.
The HIV/Aids and TB code was developed by DoL in partnership with the ILO, an international labour organisation responsible for generating labour standards following a national consultation exercise of review.
According to ILO, employers are obligated to provide and maintain a workplace that is safe and without risk to the health of its workers. The organisation recommends the following methods to deal with disease management: prevention, treatment, care and support, occupational health and safety, and wellness at work.
Mabhele said prevention programmes must be sensitive to culture, gender and language with relevant information that is accessible.
The primary objective of the code is to provide guidance on how to eliminate unfair discrimination and stigma in the workplace based on real or perceived HIV status; deal with equitable employee benefits, effective means of managing HIV in the workplace; counselling and matters relating to confidentiality.
Mabhele said employees with HIV/Aids may not be dismissed on the basis of their status. He said the management of HIV & Aids including TB in the workplace should be informed by two general principles in the workplace and these are mainstreaming HIV and Aids and TB activities into the core function of the organisation, and developing a gender sensitive response.
According to Mabhele strategies to assess and manage HIV in the world of work should reflect a management commitment, create a new or strengthen an existing committee to manage HIV, developing an action or operational plan, monitoring and evaluation.
Mabhele said in accordance with occupation health and safety act (OHSA), the work environment should provide for compensation of a worker should he or she become infected with HIV as a result of an occupational incident, in terms of the compensation for occupation injuries and diseases act (COIDA).
He said organisations that place commitment in management of diseases are characterised by creating a new or strengthening an existing committee to manage HIV/Aids and TB among other diseases, develop HIV&Aids, TB and broader disease policy; monitoring and evaluation and developing an action or operational plan.
Mabhele called for management to take a lead and demonstrate commitment by championing the course for corporate citizenship on HIV/Aids and TB; promoting partnerships in disease management; taking principled stance on human rights issues and using platforms to educate employees, customers and suppliers.
Meanwhile, DoL has announced that the EE Reporting season will open for manual submission on 1 September 2012 and closes on 1 October 2012. For the posted or hand delivered EE reports, these must reach the DoL by no later than 1 October 2012.
The online reporting period opens on 1 September 2012 and closes on 15 January 2013.
The next workshops will be held simultaneously in Polokwane Royal, Limpopo and Protea Hotel Kimberley-Big Hole, Northern Cape on 28 August. The workshops start at 10h00-13h00.
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HIV/Aids and TB are workplace diseases with effect on productivity – cautions ILO
