Posted: Tuesday, 23 March 2010

The challenge to HIV and AIDS has to be a long-term commitment. Trade unions are well suited to take on that challenge. As organisations they have been in existence for decades. They have been and are at the forefront of many long-term struggles for social justice in different parts of the world.  The very nature of their structure as democratic, membership-based organisations means that their activities are based on policies decided by their members. The majority of trade unions have taken policy decisions that recognise HIV and AIDS as a workplace and community issue to which they have to respond.

In that response to HIV and AIDS, trade unions bring their considerable experience at workplace, national, regional and international levels. Here they reach agreements with their employers, in both public and private sectors, to safeguard the health and safety, promote the skills and wellbeing, and defend the rights and interests of the workforce.

This labour advocacy toolkit draws on that rich vein of accumulated experience and presents it in a step-by-step process, which will be familiar to many activists. However even those with many years’ experience will find the kit a valuable resource for integrating HIV and AIDS in their work and putting policies into practice. It will also have particular relevance to a new generation of younger women and men who are taking their initial steps in planning and implementing trade union activities on HIV and AIDS. It will serve as a practical demonstration to those in the AIDS community who are looking for effective partnerships with trade unions to respond to HIV and AIDS at both the global and especially at country-levels.

Download the PDF document here.