Govt issues decree on HIV/AIDS prevention in the workplace

Govt issues decree on HIV/AIDS prevention in the workplace

A. Junaidi, Jakarta

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea issued on
Thursday a decree on HIV/AIDS prevention and control in the
workplace, which bans employers from discriminating against
workers with the virus.

However, the decree's effectiveness is questionable because it
fails to spell out the punishment for those who ignore the
regulation.

"With the issuance of the decree, I hope HIV/AIDS prevention
in the workplace will be more effective," Nuwa Wea said while
launching the decree at Le Meridien Hotel in Central Jakarta.

The minister acknowledged that some parts of the community had
a negative perception about people with HIV/AIDS, therefore he
called on employers and trade unions to support the campaign for
the prevention and control of the syndrome.

The decree, comprising only seven articles, obliges employers
to take steps to prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS in
the workplace

Article 2 (2c) requires employers and labor unions to protect
workers from discriminatory action and treatment and to
disseminate information and organize education and training on
HIV/AIDS.

Article 5 prohibits employers from performing HIV tests as
part of their recruitment programs or regular medical checkups.

However, Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairwoman
Nina Tursinah urged the government to exempt labor exporting
companies from abiding by the decree.

"Receiving countries require blood tests on migrant workers to
confirm they are free of HIV/AIDS. Maybe we could further discuss
the implementation of the decree for labor exporting companies,"
Nina said.

However, she agreed to the termination of discriminatory
treatment in the workplace against employees with HIV/AIDS and
the education of workers concerning the syndrome.

International Labor Organization (ILO) data reveal there were
90,000 to 130,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia by the
end of last year, 75 percent of which were male and 25 percent
female.

Due to many factors, such as a mobile workforce, a large
commercial sex industry with about 200,000 female sex workers who
have between seven million and nine million clients and with a
very low rate of condom usage, the number of people with HIV/AIDS
could double by the end of this year, ILO's national coordinator
for HIV/AIDS Tauvik Muhamad warned.

Muhamad, however, praised the decree, urging the employers not
to discriminate against workers with the virus, including by not
conducting HIV tests on people applying for jobs.

"Conducting HIV tests will only burden companies as, besides
being expensive, it does not guarantee that in the following days
their workers will not be infected," he said in the discussion.

It would be far cheaper for companies to campaign for the
prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and organize education and
training on the syndrome for their workers, he added.

Since last year, the ILO has cooperated with Apindo and
several non-governmental organizations in providing awards for 30
companies for their concern about HIV/AIDS.

The companies include state Bank Tabungan Negara, tire
producer Gajah Tunggal, state steel producer Krakatau Steel,
garment producer Ricky Putra Globalindo and Standard Chartered
Bank.