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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Friday, October 8, 2004 - Two hotels on the island have taken the lead in
responding to the Government’s call for employers to formulate policies on
“HIV/AIDS in the Workplace”, for their organisations.
Executive Director of the AIDS Action Foundation, Miss Joan Didier said that the
Foundation had been working progressively, to help business places develop an
HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Policy.
“We have begun doing this work for quite some time, we started two years ago
with the Sandals group of hotels and Jalousie in Soufriere. We began working
with key focal people in their hotels to educate and sensitize then on HIV and
AIDS, so they in turn became peer educators for their peers in the workplace.
Sandals has gone one step ahead and actually formulated a draft HIV/AIDS in the
Workplace Policy”, Miss Dedier said.
More employers in both the public and private sectors are being called upon to
move speedily to join in the move to adopt an informed approach to dealing with
the incidence of HIV/AIDS while on the job.
The call was made at the recent launching of the HIV/AIDS in the workplace
Programme.
Minister of Labour Relations, Public Service and Cooperatives, Honourable Velon
John said that considering the amount of time spent at the workplace, and the
level of interaction that occurs, the need for increased education and
sensitization becomes even more paramount. Further, he noted that government was
very concerned about the impact of HIV and AIDS on the supply of labour and the
cost of productivity, since the most vulnerable age group, ranging from ages 15
to 49 form a major part of the workforce.
“In our context, it affects large and small businesses, and public and private
sector organisations, civil society and all such institutions. According to the
National Labour Organisation, 90 per cent of the 40 million people infected with
this disease, and that is a conservative estimate, are in their productive and
reproductive age group. Worst affected throughout the pandemic realm are persons
between the ages of 15 and 49”, Minister John said.
The HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Programme is being funded by the Organisation of
American States (OAS) and will inform the national HIV/AIDS Policy.
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