Numsa's recent National Bargaining Conference endorsed a demand that all companies should start providing anti-retrovirals to those that need them. Already some companies in KwaZulu Natal are complying. Charlene Moodley reports.
Pinetown companies, Daimler Chrysler (DCSA) and Aunde SA are leading the Numsa pack in providing HIV infected workers with anti-retrovirals.At DCSA, "an Aids Task Force Committee of workers, management, shop stewards and doctors sits once a month and decides on the programme to be used by the peer educators," says Neville Pennington, fromer DCSA shop steward and now chairperson of this Committee.
The 17 peer educators in this 250-strong workforce are trained on the subject of HIV/Aids and then they give talks and run workshops both within the plant and in the community. "When workers need to talk or when they need information they can speak to these peer educators on a one-to-one basis," Pennington says.
"When a worker goes to a doctor, it will be a doctor of their choice." Tests are then done and if these workers are found to be HIV positive, then they issue the doctor with the number of the medical aid.
The medical aid will then work hand in hand with the doctor on what other tests may need to be done as well as what kind of medication is needed.
"Everything that is done from the onset is done on a confidential basis between the worker, the doctor and the medical aid," says Pennington.At a nearby factory Aunde SA, tests are done on workers who are absent excessively.
If the worker is found to be HIV positive, the company nurse informs the company who then signs the forms for the anti-retrovirals if needed. The company also has a counselling plan where the worker and the family is counselled.
All this is done at the expense of the company. Numsa Pinetown local organiser Henry Myende is also busy negotiating a similar agreement with Ventolite. He is still awaiting a reponse from Behr SA.
Lack of progress
But while there is progress at these Pinetown companies, in other companies and locals progress is slow.Some organisers have managed to discuss the issue but in very broad terms. Other organisers have been trying to add this item as part of negotiations at plant level.
'No interest' in Newcastle
In Newcastle local, two Aids workshops have had to be cancelled because few shop stewards arrived. "Either shop stewards don't understand the urgency of the issue or they are not interested," says Newcastle organiser Solomon Hadebe.
They are now organising another workshop and will open it to workers as well as shop stewards.Learn from DCSA and Aunde SA examples. Numsa can negotiate HIV/Aids policies to help workers.
Find out about the laws that protect you if you are HIV positive from your nearest Numsa office. Let's get this programme going.
Source
Numsa News