HIV & AIDS and the World of Work

The HIV&AIDS and the world of work project in Uganda commenced in 2005 in response to the need to mitigate the socio-economic impact of HIV&AIDS on labour. Through a tripartism arrangement, the project supported mobilization of the workers’ and employer’s organizations and raised public awareness on the ILO code of practice on HIV&AIDS and the world of work.

Resultantly, a national policy framework on HIV&AIDS and the world of work that was launched in 2007 was formulated to guide HIV&AIDS responses in the labour and employment sector. Since 2007, when the UN in Uganda adopted the “Delivering as One” approach, a UN Joint Programme of Support on AIDS (JUPSA) was established to provide more coherent, coordinated and effective support to the national HIV&AIDS response.

The ILO is among the 12 participating UN agencies under the JUPSA, and based on the division of labour, leads the thematic area on promoting the HIV&AIDS response in the world of work.

Brief background

Uganda is classified as a high HIV burden country with a high number of people living with HIV that is estimated at 1.5 million (2014) and which is expected to increase due to the increased longevity among persons with HIV. While HIV prevalence has stabilized at 7.4%, incidence of HIV has reduced, bringing the aggregate number of new infections from 135,000 (2010) to 90,000 (2014).

This has been due to intensified HIV prevention control programmes in HIV testing, safe male circumcision, condoms and ART.

However, the macro-economic study that assessed the quality of HIV and AIDS impact on Macro-economic planning (Min. of Finance and Economic Development, 2008) revealed that HIV prevalence in the key economic sectors such as public service (16%), hotel and hospitality (10.3%), trade (9.8%), construction (8.6%) and fisheries (7.4%) is higher than the national average.

Objectives

The three strategic objectives of the JUPSA tend to be linked to the High Level UNAIDS global objectives under the “90-90-90” targets. These strategic objects focus on attaining Zero new HIV infections, Zero AIDS related deaths and Zero discrimination.
Overall the ILO contributes to the JUPSA strategic outcome on Governance and Human Rights; through:

• Promoting strategic partnerships towards the multi-sectoral HIV response
• Support legal and policy reforms for better alignment with the international standards

Main activities/Implementation strategy

• Develop the Employment regulations on HIV Non- Discrimination; The ILO in collaboration with the tripartite constituents and the ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, supported the development of an Employment regulation on HIV Non-discrimination. The regulations provide provide protection and justice to workers in situations of discrimination and abuse of right based on perceived or real HIV.
• Develop HIV&AIDS resource guide for the Hotel and Hospitality sector; The ILO in collaboration with the Uganda Hotels and Owners Association (UHOA) and the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) developed resource guidelines for the hotel and hospitality industry. HIV prevalence among workers in the hotel and hospitality industry is 16% that is more than double the national average. The guidelines, titled “Making HIV and AIDS at work part of our business”, presents mutually dependent approaches that can be promoted in integrating HIV and AIDS education and prevention in the hotel and hospitality industry, offering business-appropriate and customer-friendly HIV&AIDS interventions.
• Development of HIV sensitive social protection fact sheets; as part of the efforts to reach out to men and women in the informal economy with HIV and AIDS education, the ILO supported the development of HIV sensitive social protection factsheets. The factsheets are in response to the gaps that relate to poor access to HIV and AIDS prevention and care services among informal economy workers. Access to targeted HIV and AIDS services and information becomes challenging due to legal restrictions, gender inequality, poor workplace compliance to labour laws, high mobility and economic stability, which makes it difficult to link and retain workers in the informal economy to long-term care. The factsheets provide information and guidance on available HIV and AIDS prevention, care, treatment, education and legal services that would benefit the men and women living with HIV and AIDS.
• Development of guidelines to integrate HIV and AIDS into the Collective Bargaining Agreements; As one of the efforts to promote the ILO Recommendation (200) Concerning HIV&AIDS and the world of work, a standard guideline for integrating HIV&AIDS in the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) was finalized and launched by the Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development and the Workers Representatives (NOTU and COFTU).

The standard HIV&AIDS CBA guideline continues to be disseminated in 40 selected economic enterprises of Agriculture, Beverages, Construction, Services and Extraction. It empowers workers representatives to negotiate to provisions that would ensure a conducive workplace environment that will protect the rights and ensure continuity of employment for men and women workers with HIV.

The provisions of the standard HIV&AIDS CBA guidelines have so far been adopted in 4 commercial agriculture enterprises of sugar and tea plantations, and expected to benefit over 50,000 men and women workers in terms of accessing regular HIV prevention and education services.

• Promoting VCT@Work in the Fisheries and Hotels sector; Uganda, is among the countries that committed towards the global campaign of intensifying efforts to increase access to HIV testing for prevention and treatment. 7 million people are eligible for ART but do not know their status. Working with the Fisheries sector, ILO in collaboration with the Uganda Fish Processors and Exporters Association targeted approximately 25,000 men and women in the fisheries supply-chain with HIV and AIDS education and behaviour change, while 7,700 men and women accessed HIV testing, counselling services and linked to appropriate services. Working with the Hotel and hospitality industry, ILO in collaboration with the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), and the Uganda Hotels Owners Association (UHOA), supported a VCT@work campaign in the hotel sector in 7 district towns of Uganda, notably Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, Mityana, Mubende, Kabarole and Kasese Districts. The VCT@work campaign targeted over 10,000 men and women with HIV information and education, including distributing condoms, while 7212 with HIV Testing and Counselling and linked to care services.

Outcomes/Expected Deliverables

The expected outcome is to improve workplace compliance to HIV and AIDS standards through strengthening workplace structures.