THE Government of Jamaica fully agrees with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS, that there is no justification for HIV screening of job applicants or in case of continued employment, according to Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles.

“HIV testing must be carried out on a voluntary basis with appropriate pre-test and post-test counselling,” Charles told the Sunday Observer after successfully piloting through the House of Representatives, last Wednesday, a motion appointing a Joint Select Committee (JSC) of both Houses of Parliament to review the Green Paper on “National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS which he tabled the previous week.

During the debate, the minister had informed the House that there are some 25,000 Jamaicans living with HIV/AIDS and, with three news cases of AIDS diagnosed daily, the HIV prevalence rate is about 1.5 per cent.

He said that 12,063 persons were reported with AIDS between January 1982 – the date of the first recorded local case – and June 2007 of which 85 per cent of those infected were in 20-60 years old age group or working class.

“Based on the potential to spread, it would take a mere five years to bring Jamaica to a situation, such as that occurring in Botswana, where at a prevalence rate of 25 per cent most of their productive population (working class) are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS,” he said.

According to the Green Paper, the purpose of the policy is to facilitate the development of a working environment that protects the rights of workers infected and/or affected by the epidemic by:

. developing a framework for action in the workplace;

. highlighting the rights and responsibilities of workers; and

. articulating the usefulness of education, training, improved awareness, counselling, care and support in prevention, treatment and care efforts.

The policy will apply to all workers, including prospective workers in the public and private sector, all workplaces and contracts of employment, including the self-employed and those in the informal sector, and all employers and/or contractors of labour in the public and private sectors.

The objectives of the Green Paper is to:

. strengthen the legal framework for HIV/AIDS as a workplace issue;

. contribute to the reduction of HIV transmission; and

. contribute to the reduction of HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination through continuous education, training and involvement of persons living with HIV and AIDS.

It is also aimed at strengthening the capacity of organisations to provide care and support for persons living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS and to manage and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace through research and prevention and support programmes.

In terms of its legislative framework, the policy will provide a foundation for the development, introduction and strengthening of the legal framework around HIV/AIDS.

In terms of education, training and improved awareness, it requires that employers, in consultation with workers, should develop culturally appropriate, gender-sensitive education and training programmes, and that workers should be encouraged to participate in, express their opinions and discuss issues regarding sexuality and HIV/AIDS.