ILO to partner with Tanzania Employers to conduct trainings on HIV and AIDS
More than 60 HR Practitioners are to benefit from the ILO technical expertise on promoting healthy working environment and getting to zero stigma and discrimination at work.
15 March 2017
Dar es SALAAM (ILO News) - More than 60 practitioners in human resource management (HRM) from various Private Sector Organizations (PSOs) will benefit from a joint training seminar on promoting healthy working environment and productive workforce organized by The Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE), in collaboration with the ILO, on 29 March 2017, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The training is aimed at communicating to the practitioners, knowledge on laws and policies related to HIV in order to promote non–discrimination environment at the workplace and improve workplace compliances to various instruments.
The training will address the legal gap existing among employers to ensure compliance and establishment of appropriate workplace programmes. An action plan for follow up will be developed, especially in reviewing HR policies and nullifications of provisions and actions that denies the right to work among the PLWHIV and establishment of workplace programmes.
Training materials include Employment and Labour Relations Act No. 6, 2004, HIV Prevention and Control Act No 28, 2008, Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 5, 2003, as well as the ILO Code of Practice on HIV and Recommendation 200 (2010). Among the areas to be covered are: International Labour Standards on HIV and AIDS, HIV and AIDS prevention and Control Act, HIV Financing and the role of employers in managing health and safety at the workplace.
Stigma and Discrimination is one of the major challenges that hamper efforts in HIV prevention and treatment. Its impact is significant as it affects health seeking behaviours including HIV testing and adherence to treatment.
In Tanzania, despite the increased knowledge on HIV transmission and existence of laws which prohibit unfair actions and treatment. People Living with HIV (PLWH) still suffer from stigma and discrimination both at the society and Workplace. This is manifested in many ways including denying PLWH the right to work.
The existence of Pre – employment HIV testing as a ground for confirming person employment is still practiced in most of private sector companies. In some circumstances, it has been done mandatory, secretly and without the prior consent or knowledge of the tested.
Moreover, in other extreme circumstances, employees have been retrenched due to HIV related illness (LEA, 2015). An ILO study conducted in 2014 found that 6% of employees who disclosed their HIV status encountered stigma and discrimination from their employers or supervisors. This behaviour is associated with inadequate knowledge on HIV related laws and policies.
The training is aimed at communicating to the practitioners, knowledge on laws and policies related to HIV in order to promote non–discrimination environment at the workplace and improve workplace compliances to various instruments.
The training will address the legal gap existing among employers to ensure compliance and establishment of appropriate workplace programmes. An action plan for follow up will be developed, especially in reviewing HR policies and nullifications of provisions and actions that denies the right to work among the PLWHIV and establishment of workplace programmes.
Training materials include Employment and Labour Relations Act No. 6, 2004, HIV Prevention and Control Act No 28, 2008, Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 5, 2003, as well as the ILO Code of Practice on HIV and Recommendation 200 (2010). Among the areas to be covered are: International Labour Standards on HIV and AIDS, HIV and AIDS prevention and Control Act, HIV Financing and the role of employers in managing health and safety at the workplace.
Stigma and Discrimination is one of the major challenges that hamper efforts in HIV prevention and treatment. Its impact is significant as it affects health seeking behaviours including HIV testing and adherence to treatment.
In Tanzania, despite the increased knowledge on HIV transmission and existence of laws which prohibit unfair actions and treatment. People Living with HIV (PLWH) still suffer from stigma and discrimination both at the society and Workplace. This is manifested in many ways including denying PLWH the right to work.
The existence of Pre – employment HIV testing as a ground for confirming person employment is still practiced in most of private sector companies. In some circumstances, it has been done mandatory, secretly and without the prior consent or knowledge of the tested.
Moreover, in other extreme circumstances, employees have been retrenched due to HIV related illness (LEA, 2015). An ILO study conducted in 2014 found that 6% of employees who disclosed their HIV status encountered stigma and discrimination from their employers or supervisors. This behaviour is associated with inadequate knowledge on HIV related laws and policies.