News

THE International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and Global Unions met in Lilongwe, Malawi 14 – 15 April to review their HIV/AIDS programmes in Africa.

The annual project review meeting was supported by the LO-Norway that has been funding HIV/AIDS programmes for national centres affiliated to ITUC.

The following organisations were represented at the meeting:

• UGT.CI, Cote d'Ivoire

• GTUC, Ghana

• COTU, Kenya

• MTUC, Malawi

• CESTRA, Rwanda

• TUCTA, Tanzania

• NOTU, Uganda

• ZCTU, Zambia

• LO-Norway

• ITUC – Africa

• Global Unions – Johannesburg office

• UNI - Zambia

• EI – Togo

• BWI – South Africa

• Employers' Association of Malawi (ECAM)

From the various reports presented, the following successes were highlighted:

• HIV/AIDS infection rates are declining in some countries due to increased awareness.

• There is also an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS workplace policies being developed

• There is an increase in outreach HIV/AIDS programmes for workers’ families

• Access to free ARVs is also on the rise in most African countries.

• Collaboration with employers and civil society organisations is increasing. Kenya was commended for implementing joint HIV/AIDS programmes with employers.

• More shop stewards and national coordinators on HIV/AIDS are being trained

• Some unions – NOTU-Uganda, MCTU-Malawi and Education International (EI) - were able to recruit more members through workplace programmes HIV/AIDS.

The meeting recommended that:

• HIV/AIDS should be mainstreamed in all union activities.

• Global Unions should collaborate more with ITUC-Africa at national level on HIV programmes as they are in direct link with their affiliates.

• The bargaining process should be used to include HIV policies in collective agreements

• Nutritional support should be included in HIV/AIDS workplace policies

• Information, Educational & Communication (IEC) materials on HIV should be translated into local languages (for unskilled workers e.g. in fishing & agricultural industry).

• Efforts should be made at national level to ensure that National AIDS Councils do not only fund the Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, but also trade unions and employers’ associations

• Trade unions should become aggressive in HIV resource mobilisation by writing joint project proposals with employers.

• ITUC and GUFs should formulate model HIV project proposals which unions can use to access the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

The meeting concluded by identifying the following areas of collaboration for unions, employers and civil society organisations:

• Capacity building

• Resource mobilisation

• HIV/AIDS workplace policies

• Integrating HIV/AIDS in collective bargaining

• Partnerships and collaboration

• Advocacy and campaigns

• Communication

• Sustainability

• Monitoring and evaluation.