10 June, 2011
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the ICEM African Workshop on the ILO Decent Work Agenda and HIV and AIDS, on the work in Nigeria, on the UNAIDS report “AIDS at 30: Nations at the Crossroads” and a new ILO tool kit that is available for trade unions.
ICEM African Workshop on ILO Decent Work Agenda and HIV and AIDS
In the framework of the ICEM HIV/AIDS project, sponsored by FNV Modiaal of the Netherlands and the Finnish SASK, an African Regional Workshop was organised in Johannesburg from 24-26 May. National coordinators and union activists from 11 countries participated in this workshop. The workshop was organised by the HIV/AIDS Project Coordinator, Paula Ndessomin, with technical assistance from Shirley Miller.
The objectives of the workshop were to identify key elements of the Decent Work Agenda and understand how HIV and AIDS affect decent work and how, in turn, workplace action against the pandemic must be part of pursuing decent work.
In an excellent presentation, the HIV/AIDS Focal Person of the ILO Pretoria office, Simphiwe Mabhele, linked decent work and HIV/AIDS in a rights-based approach using ILO Recommendation 200 concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work. The ICEM HIV/AIDS consultant focused on the ILO Global Action to promote the implementation of Recommendation 200 and global and national union action to this effect.
In group work, participants explored challenges with respect to the Decent Work Agenda and fighting HIV and AIDS and discussed the difficulties of achieving decent work in the current worldwide economic crisis, including the difficulties of organising as more and more workers are forced into the ranks of the unemployed. They also identified workplace policies and collective bargaining agreements as tools to implement the Decent Work Agenda and eliminate stigma and discrimination.
The workshop also gave an opportunity to Kettie Tembo from the British union Unite and Tsitsi Mariwo from the Public Services International (PSI) to present their HIV/AIDS projects and exchange information with participants.
HIV and AIDS Project in Nigeria Sponsored by the Canadian CEP
For several years now, the Humanity Fund of the Canadian ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy and Paperworkers’ (CEP) Union, has sponsored an HIV and AIDS project in Nigeria in cooperation with the ICEM HIV/AIDS project and the ICEM affiliates in Nigeria, NUPENG, and PENGASSAN.
In May, the ICEM HIV/AIDS consultant, who was accompanied by the national coordinator, Olawale Afolabi, visited Lagos and surrounding locations to assess the impact of the project. After having trained 210 peer educators cum counsellors and 120 community mobilisation agents, the unions focused on campaigns for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) at workplaces. Leaflets and handbills were produced for mass distribution.
Prevention campaigns were mounted in some 40 workplaces across the country and about 20,000 individuals were reached with awareness and prevention messages. VCT was carried out at 20 sites with close to 10,000 individuals tested.
During his visit, the consultant had discussions with the unions’ leadership, observed a VCT campaign, spoke to peer educators about their work, and met with the staff of the NUPENG HIV/AIDS Prevention Office. Over the years, the national coordinator has managed to access resources at national level. For example, the testing in May was facilitated by the Nigeria Business Coalition against AIDS (NIBUCAA) free of charge. The prevention office has been sponsored by SmartWork, the HIV/AIDS workplace programme of the US Academy for Educational Development.
30 Years of HIV and AIDS
As the world marks 30 years of HIV and AIDS, UNAIDS estimates that 34 million people are living with the HI-virus and nearly 30 million people have died of AIDS-related causes since the first case of AIDS was reported on 5 June 1981. An estimated 7,000 new infections occur every day (editor’s note: these figures do not tally with those in the following article, according to which the new infection rate would be about 6,000).
Although about 6.6 million people in low- and middle-income countries were receiving antiretroviral therapy at the end of 2010, which in itself is a great achievement, an estimated nine million people who would qualify for ARVs did not receive them.
Access to treatment will transform the AIDS response. According to UNAIDS, accelerating access and finding new treatment options not only stops people from dying but also prevents transmission of the virus.
However, prevention efforts are still a priority and they are showing results: between 2001 and 2009, new HIV infections declined by nearly 25%. In India, the rate of new infections fell by more than 50% and in South Africa by more than 35%. India and South Africa are the two countries that have the largest absolute number of HIV-positive people.
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, New York/Nairobi, 3 June, on the report “AIDS at 30: Nations at the Crossroads”)
UNICEF: Two Million Teenagers HIV-positive
According to a recent report by UNICEF, jointly published with ILO, WHO, UNESCO, and The World Bank, worldwide two million teenagers in the age group to 19 years are infected with the HI-virus, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Young people in developing and newly-industrialised countries have an especially high risk of infection.
Daily, some 2,500 adolescents in the age group 15 to 24 years get infected. That means that 41% of every new infection is in this age group. Girls and young women have the highest risk. UNICEF demands better access to awareness and prevention for young people.
(Source: UNICEF website)
Global Fund Suspends Disbursement of China Grants
Citing concerns about insufficient participation of civil society organisations in programme implementation, inadequate financial management and possible misuse of grant funds, the Global Fund Secretariat has temporarily suspended disbursements for all active Global Fund grants in China.
Several articles about the suspensions have appeared in the mainstream press. The Global Fund has not made any public announcement concerning the suspensions, but it has responded to questions from journalists.
According to the Global Fund website, China has four active grants: two for malaria, and one each for HIV and TB. China has been awarded 14 grants by the Global Fund, but in 2010 China went through an elaborate process of grant consolidation. The sole principal recipient (PR) for all of China’s grants is and has been the (China) Center for Disease Control (CDC), a government entity.
The suspensions appear rooted in a collision between the Fund’s conviction that grass-roots organizations must be intrinsically involved in the fight to control diseases like AIDS, and the Chinese government’s growing suspicion of any civil-society groups that are not directly under its control. They follow complaints by some AIDS activists that Chinese officials have sought to suppress their public-health activities, have shunted grant money to groups under government control, and have failed to account for how some funds were spent.”
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 148 of 2 June. GFO is a free service of Aidspan; to receive GFO send an email here)
ILO ACTRAV Tool Kit on HIV and AIDS
In April, the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) published a tool kit to guide trade union responses to HIV and AIDS. The tool kit contains six factual booklets, collected learning exercises, case studies and information resources and a CD-Rom with key ILO publications on HIV and AIDS and the world of work. as well the DVD “Workplaces in Africa respond to HIV and AIDS.”
Booklet 1 deals with Core Information on HIV and AIDS, the Impact and Global Response. Booklet 2 focuses on Respect for Rights: The Key to Labour and Workplace Responses. Booklet 3 has information on Workplace Action on HIV and AIDS: Contributing to Universal Access. Booklet 4 deals with Trade Union Education and Training on HIV and AIDS. Booklet 5 contains information on Mobilising Resources for Trade Union Action. Booklet 6 gives an overview on Project Development and Proposal Writing. All this is accompanied by a Guide to the tool kit.
(Source: ILO/AIDS website – for the toolkit click here or go to the ICEM website, see below)
New Resources on the ICEM Website
The ICEM HIV/AIDS website has been updated to include ILO Recommendation 200 concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, as well as the Global Action Plan to promote and implement the Recommendation. The latter was adopted by the ILO Governing Body in March 2011. You can also find the brand new tool kit on HIV and AIDS, developed by the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) – see article in this e-bulletin.
News from Global Unions
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in its latest HIV/AIDS update No. 107 of 15 May, reports on the on the High Level Meeting (HLM) of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which takes place in New York from 8-10 June. The meeting will adopt an outcome document (a new UNGA Declaration) that will aim at recommitting governments on universal access to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. Thanks to trade union advocacy, the zero draft of the HLM outcome document does feature reference to the role of trade unions and ILO Recommendation 200 on HIV and AIDS and the world of work. It is, however, not certain whether this reference will survive in negotiations between governments for the final draft.
The May Newsletter of PSUFASA (Public Sector Unions Fighting AIDS in Southern Africa) gives a first preliminary survey of the findings of the evaluation of the project and reports on two regional seminars in February and March, the latter on collective bargaining and HIV and AIDS.
Five Years Ago: From the June 2006 Issue (No. 9)
The first issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin was published in October 2005. In current issues, we refer to an article from the same month five years ago and reflect on developments.
In the June 2006 issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin, we reported on the mission to Ghana together with representatives of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This was the first joint mission of a Global Union with the Global Fund. In 2011 we can say that it probably was also the last.
Although the ICEM concept to target clinics operated by companies for HIV and AIDS services for workers and the surrounding communities with the involvement of unions had found recognition, little concrete follow-up activities resulted from this mission. Companies did engage in public/private partnerships and the Global Fund promoted co-investment projects but the ICEM’s claim that the private sector includes business and unions went unheard.
On the positive side, it should be mentioned that roll-out of antiretroviral drugs accelerated considerably and that major mining companies provided prevention, care and support services to their workers and dependents.
We also referred to the report by FNV Mondiaal, “Trade union support in the struggle against HIV/AIDS,” which cited the ICEM project as a good example of integrating HIV/AIDS issues in collective bargaining and global framework agreements and gave credit to our efforts to build partnerships.
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