John Tugume
13 May 2008
Kampala — Labour State Minister Mwesigwa Rukutana has challenged Trade Union leaders to step up the fight against HIV at the work place.
While opening a workshop of trade union leaders from all over Africa in Kampala yesterday, Mr Rukutana said Aids patients were now leaving healthy lives because of affordable ARVs.
"Aids has depleted our labour force and affected both production and productivity in the region," Mr Rukutana said.
He said union leaders should always encourage employers to sensitise their employees to ensure that individuals know their sexual boundaries.
"Workers should be encouraged to undertake regular testing and do away with stigma associated with HIV, " Mr Rukutana said.
He urged employers to provide remedial training to their employees if they want to realise higher profits and sustainability.
He also told them to ensure workers were not greatly affected by unforeseen calamities, business failures and retrenchments.
He said union leaders should to be partners in ensuring that employers keep their workplaces safe and without risks.
The workshop under the theme Peace and Development: The building blocks for better and prosperous society was organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Trade Union Confederation-Africa (ITUC) in conjunction with Nation Organisation of trade Unions (Notu).
Notu Chairman General David Nkojjo said that trade unions had not contributed greatly to peace building in Uganda.
"As workers' leaders, we have tried to restrain workers from engaging in industrial disharmony which may painfully lead to loss of revenue and jobs," Mr Nkojjo said.
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