Asia Pacific Trade Union and HIV

You can protect the worker or you can protect the virus: discrimination protects HIV, APHEDA/Union Aid Abroad

This group of seven speakers looked at the complex needs of trade union members who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Presentations focused on a similar but yet familiar content from diverse unions such as Public Service International, Teachers Union, Educational International and International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. What structures were in place and how they could be improved, what was missing and what were the future challenges for trade unions in the SE Asian and Pacific region? All the speakers agreed that the workplace gives people an identity, is important for peer support building, provided a sense of dignity and improving human rights issues. Informing, protecting groups at work while removing barriers, strengthening and capacity building were seen as the major structural requirements of advocacy and support needed from the trade union movement irrespective of the region involved. Most presentations went into detail about the code of practice each was implementing as these were regarded as tools to be used to solve part of the problems seen. These codes are designed to encourage interaction between worker and employers.

Gunnar Walzholz from ILO suggested that Trade Unions need to do a lot of advocacy and that these groups continue to be in a strong position for responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. But many union representatives still feel that HIV/AIDS is a health issue and they think that in many ways they need to protect their co-workers. Unions need to do a lot of work changing this attitude so that the rights of those infected and affected are protected. Trade unions in the Asia Pacific region could learn at lot from the South African situation and how the Treatment Action Campaign has brought together diverse groups such as NGO's, PLWA, religious groups and government agencies.