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The 21st International AIDS Conference begins today in Durban and runs until Friday, July 22.
One of the questions that arises around the conference is whether the workplace is a friendlier place for those living with HIV and AIDS today, than it was 21 years ago?
Having a life altering illness is a daunting adjustment for anyone to make and even as you come to terms with your own new challenges you cannot control how others respond to you – especially in the work place.
We spend about 30% of our lives at our places of work therefore it should be a place that you feel comfortable. Ignorance breeds discontent and when colleagues and superiors do not understand your health problems or believe untrue stereotypes about it, it fosters an uncomfortable environment.
Article 09 of the South African Constitution and the Employment Equity Act prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of, among other things, disability or on the HIV status of the employee.
Which means that acts of discrimination against such employees is illegal and businesses that are seen being discriminatory to people with various health problems could face legal action.
Moving from discrimination to inclusion
It is important to disclose your health status to your employer so that they are aware if there are any emergencies.
However regardless of this if you find yourself constantly in instances where you are being discriminated against, document every situation, file complaints when you feel that you are being unfairly treated and make sure that you know your rights.
If you are an employer who has an employee suffering from a health problem such as HIV or TB, you need to put in place a human rights based work place policy. Collaborating with a knowledgeable trade union is also a good idea, for example for the past 18 years, the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) Worker Health Program has been collaborating with employers to, not only ensure that polices for HIV, Aids and TB were initiated, but also through sharing key research findings as assimilated by them from the various Donor and International stakeholders they partner with.
The discourse has moved from “adversarial” to “collaboration”.
SACTWU’s Work Health Program (SWHP), offers HIV, AIDS and TB prevention programmes such as those which focus on sexual health education, access to condoms, counselling and testing.
Having built their advocacy reputation by active involvement in these interventions, SWHP in 2016 delivers close to a quarter of all Voluntary Medical Male Circumcisions procedures linked to the broader government programme.
Their role is thus not only to encourage companies to implement wellness programmes in partnership with the Department of Health, but to actively facilitate their implementation.
An inclusive work place is a result of input by both the employers and the employees as the company needs to work together in order to make sure all people are cared for appropriately.
Using methods outlined and headlined by trade unions like SACTWU, businesses can make a positive impact on how those with illnesses are treated in social and professional situations.
