FG faces challenges over employers' treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS - Imposes heavy sanctions

Soji-Eze Fagbemi, Abuja updated: Wednesday 17-12-2008

Alhaji Hassan Lawal, Labour
MinisterThe Minister of Labour, Dr. Hassan Lawal, has lamented that the Federal Government was faced with serious challenges on how to curb wrongful termination and dismissal of workers living with HIV/AIDS from their places of work, their exclusion from employment, and total rejection by employers of labour.

Lawal told Labour Today immediately after the high level forum on the Implementation of the National Workplace Response to HIV/AIDS, organised by the Ministry of Labour, that if not adequately addressed, the challenges would make it difficult for the country to meet the International Labour Organisation (ILO) agenda of decent work and the Vision 2020 goal as well as the Seven - Point Agenda of the present administration.

The minister regretted that despite its marked achievement in the area of workplace response to HIV/AIDS, the ministry “is still faced with more challenges including the failure of employers of labour to put in place workplace policies and programme on HIV/AIDS, wrongful dismissal and exclusion from employment attributed to HIV/AIDS, stigma and discrimination of workers living with HIV/AIDS.”

He added: “These challenges, if not adequately addressed, would make it difficult for the country to meet the ILO agenda of decent work as well as the vision 2020 goal and 7- Point Agenda of the present administration.”

Dr. Lawal explained that because of this, the ministry facilitated the reversal of termination of appointments of several workers living with HIV/AIDS in some enterprises in some states of the Federation.

And towards this end, the Federal Government issued an order that heavy sanctions should be imposed on "any organisation or corporate body that discriminated against or excluded persons infected with HIV/AIDS from being employed."

The minister also said that the ministry was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS is implemented in all workplace, including the informal sector.

The minister said: “The ministry is achieving this objective through its integrated Labour Inspection Strategy to workplaces on daily basis. Several workplaces have been given technical assistance to develop their own workplace policies.

“The Ministry of Labour will continue to advocate for elimination of stigma and discrimination against workers living with HIV/AIDS, and for the application of the concept of reasonable accommodation for workers who may require it, HIV/AIDS prevention, impact mitigation, and care and support.”

He regretted that at present, Nigeria has the highest global burden of the AIDS virus after South Africa, despite the modest achievements, adding that all Nigerians have more work to do and must all examine the opportunities, the gaps, the threats, the strength, the weaknesses and explore alternative ways of achieving clearly articulated goals to rid Nigeria of HIV/AIDS in the shortest possible time.

Dr. Lawal pointed out that HIV/AIDS has become a major threat to the world of work as it affects the most productive segment of the labour force with attendant consequences which include reduction in earnings, declining productivity, huge costs on enterprises for care and support, increasing labour cost, loss of skills and loss of experience and expertise.

He added that HIV/AIDS also affected the fundamental rights at work particularly with respect to discrimination and stigmatization of workers and people living with and affected by the virus.