Get tested – for Aids and everything else!Jenny Grice

Numsa's and Cosatu's resolutions say we must fight the stigma around Aids. If we destroy the stigma, people will come forward to be tested, they will find out their status and they will disclose their status.

If they know their status they can be treated, they will act responsibly and we will be able to control the spread of the disease.

But we have largely failed. In communities, people are still killed for saying they are HIV positive.In workplaces, gossiping gives life to the stigma, Numsa shop steward Rosa Mkhize told a HIV/Aids Conference in May.

A worker will comment to her friends, 'sis Betty is losing weight, look at the time she has spent at the clinic today!'”Giddies Nala, a Numsa member and peer educator at Scaw Metals echoed her sentiments.

His company set up HIV/Aids counselling and testing in one part of their company clinic. “Workers would gossip amongst themselves, 'why are they going that side to the clinic?'”“We had to put cotton wool inside workers' pill bottles (for Aids treatment) so that when they left the clinic they could hide the bottles in their clothes and they wouldn't make a noise.

And those that don't have the courage to face this gossiping never test, never find out their status.Some companies have introduced extra leave for very ill HIV positive workers if they disclose their status.

But desperately ill workers have refused to take up this offer. They seem to prefer to be fired for inadequate work performance rather than let others know their status.Nala is HIV positive. What saved him he says was telling his family and friends and his employer of his status.

Now on anti-retrovirals, he works as an Aids peer educator in his company. But this doesn't work for everyone. “It is difficult to get people to disclose,” he says. “You can't change people overnight. People are scared because of the stigma. Others don't believe in HIV/Aids because of religion or other reasons.

They don't want to go for VCT (voluntary counselling and testing) because of this.”This is the reason why more and more companies are moving away from concentrating on just Aids testing.

In 2006 shop stewards proposed that instead of just doing VCT, all workers should be tested for everything including blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar levels etc,” says Mkhize.

Wellness committeesThey dissolved their Aids committee in their workplace and replaced it with a “wellness committee”. Head of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) Aids Project Dr Nikki Soboil says the Union has gone the same route.

They run clinics for their members and will soon launch a mobile clinic in Ladysmith that will encourage workers to come and get tested for everything. “We mustn't treat Aids separately from other illnesses,” says Numsa's Aids coordinator, Puleng Mminele, “it will just prolong the stigma attached to Aids.”Get tested and know your status – on Aids, blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol!

Hlolelwa iGciwane leNgculazi futhi uhlolelwe nakho konke okunye!Asikaphumeleli ekunqobeni ukucwaswa maqondana neNgculazi. Emiphakathini, abantu basabulawelwa ukuveza obala isimo sabo sokuphila neGciwane. Emsebenzini, ukuhleba ngabanye abantu kwenza abasebenzi besabe ukuhlolwa besabe nokufuna usizo.

Manje-ke eminye imiphakathi isiguqule amakomidi ayo eNgculazi yawenza aba ngamakomidi ezinhlelo zokuphila ungumqemane. Futhi-ke le ndlela yenza kuhlolwe yonke into, okungaba yi-blood pressure, izinga lamafutha angalungile emzimbeni, izinga likashukela kanye neNgculazi.“Akufuneki iNgculazi siyikhiphele ngaphandle kwezinye izinhlobo zokugula,” kusho owengamele izinhlelo zokufundisa ngeNgculazi, uPuleng Mmimele. “Ukwenza kanjalo kuzobhebhethekisa ukucwaswa kwabaneNgculazi.

Hamba uye kohlolwa ukuze uzazi isimo sakho maqondana neNgculazi, ne-blood pressure, ushukela nokuba namafutha angalungile emzimbeni!

Laat jouself toets – vir Vigs en alle ander siektes!Ons slaag nie in ons stryd teen die stigma omtrent Vigs nie. Mense word nog steeds in ons gemeenskappe doodgemaak omdat hulle hulle MIV-status bekend maak.

Geskinder onder werkers by werkplekke maak werkers bang om hulle te laat toets en hulp te kry.Nou verander sommige maatskappye hulle Vigs-komitees na komitees vir welstand.

Toetse word gedoen vir enigiets insluitende bloeddruk, cholesterol, suikervlakke en Vigs. “Ons moenie Vigs apart hanteer van ander siektes nie,” meen Numsa se Vigs-koördineerder, Puleng Mminele. “Dit sal slegs die stigma wat aan Vigs kleef, laat aanhou.” Laat jouself toets en ken jou status – oor Vigs, bloeddruk, suiker en cholesterol!

Etsa diteko – bakeng sa Aids le tse ding tsohle!Ha re eso atlehe ho lwantsha sekgobo se mabapi le Aids. Merabeng ya habo rona, batho ba ntse ba bolawa ha ba bolela maemo a bona a HIV.

Mesebetsing, ho seba ka ba bang ho etsa hore basebetsi ba tshabe ho etsa diteko le ho fumana thuso.Jwale dikhampani tse ding di fetola dikomiti tsa bona tsa AIDS ho ba dikomiti tsa bophelo bo botle.

Mme diteko di se di etswa bakeng sa tsohle ho kenyelletswa le kgatello ya madi, kholesterole, boemo ba tswekere le AIDS.

Ha re a tshwanela ho tshwara AIDS e le nngwe ka thoko ho malwetse a mang,” ho rialo mohokahanyi wa AIDS wa Numsa, Puleng Mminele, “hona ho tla lelefatsa sekgobo se amahangwang le AIDS.” Etsa diteko mme o tsebe boemo ba hao – mabapi le AIDS, kgatello ya madi, tswekere le kholesterole!

Developing health and safety expertsThe most dangerous job in this country is to work underground in a mine. But there are also accidents, sometimes deadly ones in Numsa factories.Just this year workers died in an explosion at Assmang in Cato Ridge.

The Labour Department is currently grilling the same management in court over claims that many workers are dying from manganese poisoning.

Over the next two years, 11 Numsa shop stewards and 2 Numsa officials will attend a health and safety course run by the Industrial Health Research Group (IHRG) in Cape Town.

Shop stewards from Scaw Metals, Highveld Steel, Assmang, Arcelor Mittal, Dimbaza Foundries and Denel will share their experiences of health and safety in their sectors. In this way they will help IHRG develop a health and safety course for use by others.

Source

Numsa News