A handbook to help employers in Thailand cope with the growing number of workers living with HIV/AIDS is being launched at a dinner tomorrow (Friday 2^nd July) attended by around 50 local business leaders and addressed by Senator Mechai Viravaidya.

It’s estimated that a million people in Thailand are living with HIV/AIDS and 700,000 of them are active in the workforce.  More than 50 percent are employed in the private sector[1], meaning that the epidemic is an increasing concern for employers who face the loss of skilled, experienced staff, affecting both productivity and profits.

The “Employers’ Handbook on Managing HIV/AIDS in the Workplace” is now available in a bilingual Thai/English version, to allow as many companies as possible to use it. The kit blends the internationally-recognized standards of the ILO’s “Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in the world of work” with the experiences of hundreds of companies in Thailand who are already putting these principles into practice.

The Thai language version will be unveiled at a dinner at the Royal Princess Srinakarin Hotel, Bangkok . Senator Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman, Population and Community Development Association will give a keynote speech on the leading role employers can play in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The manual is the result of collaboration between the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT), the Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS (TBCA) and the ILO. It includes four booklets that cover preparing a business to deal with HIV/AIDS, workplace prevention and education, support and care, the rights of workers affected by HIV/AIDS and key contacts. Free copies are available from the ILO.

“HIV/AIDS is now a core business issue because when workers are affected so is their company’s performance. If illness or discrimination leads to a loss of skills and experience, costs rise and profits fall. That can affect not just one company but, if nothing is done, an entire economic sector or more.” said Gunnar Walzholz, ILO/AIDS Regional Technical Specialist. “Many employers in Thailand know this, and want to respond proactively. This guide will help them.”

“The workplace is a very effective location through which to fight the epidemic. Factories and offices combine efficient systems and structures with a familiar environment and social support networks. So training, education and care referral can be easily combined with other tasks,” he said.

[1] Asian Business Coalition on AIDS

For more information please contact:

Sophy Fisher
Tel: 02 288 2482
fisher@ilo.org  

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