Dear comrades
Friends from Solidarity Center and SWHAP
Employers and staff present here today
Allow me to greet you on behalf of the National Office Bearers , who unfortunately could not attend this workshop due to other commitments. This workshop takes place at a very challenging period, not only for NUMSA, but also for our Federation COSATU. I will not go into the details of the challenges within COSATU as we all are familiar with what those challenges are.

In NUMSA we have just managed to settle a three week strike in the Auto sector, where about 30 000 members from 7 auto plants were on strike.
On Monday our members in the Motor sector went on strike. The workers in the motor sector are amongst the most vulnerable workers in the Numsa organized sectors, where they are still subjected to low wages and overall poor working conditions.

Yesterday, we were supposed to hear the Numsa application in the South Gauteng High Court, that calls for the Cosatu Special CEC decisions of 14th August 2013 that suspended the Cosatu General Secretary, cde Zwelinzima Vavi, to be set aside.

Unfortunately the matter has been postponed until next month.
Let me come back to the workshop that we have convened here today
I must say that it is as much a pleasure as it is a sad day for us as we gather here today, because the project that we jointly ran with the Solidarity center has come to an end.

We have run joint programmes Solidarity Center and SWHAP, but separately, for the past few years with much success although we had some challenges with both programmes.

And as a Union we acknowledged that there were frustrations when it came to commitment, proper coordination and support for the project, especially frustration from the side of our comrades in SWHAP and Solidarity.

But you guys have endured because you understood those challenges we as a Union faced and the pressures that we have when it comes to servicing our members, but also the internal challenges we had in our own department which is supposed to coordinate Gender and HIV/AIDS.

We started the project with Solidarity Center in 2008 with the aims and objective to strengthen HIV/AIDS workplace programmes, through capacity building and outreach programmes to our Union representatives, workers and management, through education, voluntary counseling and testing services, workshops and presentations and workshop on gender norms about masculinity related to HIV/AIDS.
 

Through the project, several NUMSA organized companies have been supported to implement sustainable workplace HIV and AIDS programmes.
The overall objective of the partnership was to achieve the launching and implementing of a workplace HIV and AIDS programme that would increase access to HIV and AIDS education;

And to increase access to on-site HIV counseling and testing in small, medium and large factories in NUMSA’s Gauteng region.

Also:
To harness union structures and mobilization skills to encourage workers to seek HIV and AIDS-related services.

To sensitize workers and union leaders to gender issues, including male gender norms related to HIV and AIDS.

To build NUMSA’s capacity to respond effectively to the HIV and AIDS challenge.

To increase access to HIV and AIDS education and HIV Counseling and Testing through community events.

As a Union we are indeed grateful for the strategic partnership we were able to have with the Solidarity Center.

The Solidarity Center has worked hard in educating, building capacity and advocating for prevention of the HIV crisis.
As a Union we hope that we will able to take forward this work with the same commitment and drive that our comrades in Solidarity Center had.

We have travelled a very long road which was sometimes difficult, especially when it come to the implementation of the programmes agreed upon.
We also had a similar project with SWHAP, the Swedish Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme.

The SWHAP programme was jointly initiated in 2004 by the International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR) and the Industrial and Metal Workers’ Union of Sweden (IF Metall).

The main aim of SWHAP is to support companies and employees to prevent further spread of HIV and reduce the effects of the pandemic at Swedish related workplaces.

A key element of the SWHAP strategy was that management and employees should work hand in hand in the fight against HIV and Aids.

The expected outcomes were that:
• Employee/management partnerships are established to address the issue of HIV/AIDS.

• HIV/Aids committees are formed at the companies.

• Committees are operating effectively, by capacitating and support the worker committee members to participate effectively in the management of the workplace programme.

Our Union was supposed to manage this project, but with our own challenges we were unable to fulfill that commitment.
I have already alluded to some of the reasons why we were unable to do so.
The workshop over the next two days will have to assess what has been done by these two organisations.

We will have to look at key areas of the programmes that have been run. This includes the transformation of HIV/AIDS programmes into wellness programmes; the experience of peer educators who deal with HIV/AIDS-WELLNESS; how HIV counseling and testing can be done most effectively; the details of HIV prevent activities as well as how programmes support those that are HIV positive.

We need to look at the lessons that we have learnt so that these can be factored into our programme going forward.

We need to look at a more hands on approach from our side as NUMSA,
We need to discuss a way forward in terms of taking over where Solidarity Center has left, and the continuation of the project. The departure of Solidarity Centre will indeed leave a vacuum that needs to be filled.
It is also important to discuss the integration of these two programmes, because for years we have run parallel projects with similar objectives and outcomes.

We need to discuss and enrich the draft NUMSA HIV/AIDS policy so that our structures can discuss it in preparation for adoption by the Central Committee

Today in our country the estimated overall HIV prevalence rate is approximately 10%. The total number of people living with HIV is estimated at approximately 5,26 million in this year. For adults aged 15–49 years, an estimated 15, 9% of the population is HIV positive.

The total number of persons living with HIV in South Africa increased from an estimated 4 million in 2002 to 5,26 million by 2013.
These statistics makes the work that we must do more urgent than ever. It once again means that we need the support and commitment from all role players, because the task of fighting the scourge of HIV/AIDS is not the responsibility of one particular group only.

I want to stop here and welcome all of you to this two day workshop and hope that we will have fruitful and constructive discussions that will take the work that we have done so far forward and to another level.
I wish you well in all the deliberations ahead.

I Thank you.