Les sociétés sudafricaines en retard sur le sida
Le secteur privé sud-africain, qui jusqu'à présent fait figure de modèle dans la lutte contre le sida, semble fléchir dans effort. Seules 20% des compagnies auraient un programme en place et encore, bien souvent, il ne s'agit que d'une campagne de communication interne.
The private sector is dropping the ball in the fight against HIV and Aids in South Africa, with as few as 20% of companies countrywide offering care, support and treatment programmes.
And the Western Cape has very little to be proud of. In provinces with the highest prevalence figures, like KwaZulu-Natal, businesses have woken up to the threat, but this province is home to many still arguing HIV's insignificance.
This emerged yesterday during an Aids Legal Network debate, involving speakers from across the spectrum, focusing on whether current workplace approaches to HIV and Aids are enabling fair labour practices.
The worst off sectors in terms of HIV incidence are the mining, metal manufacturing and transport sectors, where infection rates are running at 35% and higher.
And domestic workers appear to among those worst off, with very little information and consequent protection for this 1.2 million-strong workforce.
Ulricka Beukman, of the Aganang HIV Resource Centre, warned businesses that if they waited until HIV appeared among their workforce as illness and death, it would be too late to act.
"Visibility of HIV is unfortunately a major indicator for action and that is why we see more response from corporates in, for example, KwaZulu-Natal, where infection rates are
higher.
"In the Western Cape, there are a lot of culprits still arguing that HIV is not significant."
Beukman also accused companies of shifting their responsibilities in terms of the pandemic on to the unions.
The reality was that "the majority" of the corporate sector was "not doing anything", she said.
Even those companies that said they did run information programmes often did not have customised programmes tailored to their specific workforce. They recycled government pamphlets that were often inappropriate.
"More than 80% of corporate companies do not have care, support and treatment programmes," said Beukman.
"There is a lot of voluntary counselling and testing but then if people test positive, they're sent off to their local clinic, where they're then told they can't get help because they are employed," Beukman said.
Conceding there were some "excellent programmes" being run by companies, these were, however, "in the minority".
Domestic Workers Union spokeswoman Myrtle Witbooi pointed to an even more disastrous situation where people were routinely dismissed after being found to be HIV-positive.
Labour Department figures that South Africa is home to 1.2 million domestic workers indicated the "enormous task ahead of us".
"These women are completely isolated in their jobs, and our experience is that they know very little about HIV/Aids, and nothing about their rights," said Witbooi.
"We've seen 20 dismissals this year, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal, on the basis of a positive HIV test."
Employers were also slipping into contracts the requirement that domestic workers had to be tested for HIV.
The Aids Legal Network's Shawn Hattingh told the meeting that a number of studies had demonstrated that HIV was still surrounded by stigma, including one that showed that about one-third of all managers and workers polled believed that a person with HIV should not continue working at their job.
Some companies still did not promote people on the basis of their HIV status, along with gender and similar discrimination.
And, despite legislation, people were still being dismissed because of their HIV status, Hattingh said.
Among the companies which did offer anti-retroviral treatment for people infected with HIV, Hattingh said, about a third forced those affected to access the drugs through the company or affiliated clinics.
This effectively compromised people's right to confidentiality.
"It seems that legislation and codes of good practice are filtering through to far too few workplaces.
"Many companies borrow HIV policies from other companies, many have generic policies, and too many policies are developed by management with no consultation with the workers," he warned.
Perhaps most unfortunately, HIV in the workplace was viewed as a fiscal, rather than a human rights issue.
"Workplace policies remain inadequate and fail in enforcing good labour practice.
"Workplaces need to address stigma, discrimination and human rights issues in their policies, or they won't work," Hattingh said.
The private sector is dropping the ball in the fight against HIV and Aids in South Africa, with as few as 20% of companies countrywide offering care, support and treatment programmes.
And the Western Cape has very little to be proud of. In provinces with the highest prevalence figures, like KwaZulu-Natal, businesses have woken up to the threat, but this province is home to many still arguing HIV's insignificance.
This emerged yesterday during an Aids Legal Network debate, involving speakers from across the spectrum, focusing on whether current workplace approaches to HIV and Aids are enabling fair labour practices.
The worst off sectors in terms of HIV incidence are the mining, metal manufacturing and transport sectors, where infection rates are running at 35% and higher.
And domestic workers appear to among those worst off, with very little information and consequent protection for this 1.2 million-strong workforce.
Ulricka Beukman, of the Aganang HIV Resource Centre, warned businesses that if they waited until HIV appeared among their workforce as illness and death, it would be too late to act.
"Visibility of HIV is unfortunately a major indicator for action and that is why we see more response from corporates in, for example, KwaZulu-Natal, where infection rates are
higher.
"In the Western Cape, there are a lot of culprits still arguing that HIV is not significant."
Beukman also accused companies of shifting their responsibilities in terms of the pandemic on to the unions.
The reality was that "the majority" of the corporate sector was "not doing anything", she said.
Even those companies that said they did run information programmes often did not have customised programmes tailored to their specific workforce. They recycled government pamphlets that were often inappropriate.
"More than 80% of corporate companies do not have care, support and treatment programmes," said Beukman.
"There is a lot of voluntary counselling and testing but then if people test positive, they're sent off to their local clinic, where they're then told they can't get help because they are employed," Beukman said.
Conceding there were some "excellent programmes" being run by companies, these were, however, "in the minority".
Domestic Workers Union spokeswoman Myrtle Witbooi pointed to an even more disastrous situation where people were routinely dismissed after being found to be HIV-positive.
Labour Department figures that South Africa is home to 1.2 million domestic workers indicated the "enormous task ahead of us".
"These women are completely isolated in their jobs, and our experience is that they know very little about HIV/Aids, and nothing about their rights," said Witbooi.
"We've seen 20 dismissals this year, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal, on the basis of a positive HIV test."
Employers were also slipping into contracts the requirement that domestic workers had to be tested for HIV.
The Aids Legal Network's Shawn Hattingh told the meeting that a number of studies had demonstrated that HIV was still surrounded by stigma, including one that showed that about one-third of all managers and workers polled believed that a person with HIV should not continue working at their job.
Some companies still did not promote people on the basis of their HIV status, along with gender and similar discrimination.
And, despite legislation, people were still being dismissed because of their HIV status, Hattingh said.
Among the companies which did offer anti-retroviral treatment for people infected with HIV, Hattingh said, about a third forced those affected to access the drugs through the company or affiliated clinics.
This effectively compromised people's right to confidentiality.
"It seems that legislation and codes of good practice are filtering through to far too few workplaces.
"Many companies borrow HIV policies from other companies, many have generic policies, and too many policies are developed by management with no consultation with the workers," he warned.
Perhaps most unfortunately, HIV in the workplace was viewed as a fiscal, rather than a human rights issue.
"Workplace policies remain inadequate and fail in enforcing good labour practice.
"Workplaces need to address stigma, discrimination and human rights issues in their policies, or they won't work," Hattingh said.
posted by Dr Philippe Maslo at 09:18
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