HIV/ AIDS impact on labour force severe

Nearly 13 million workers died of AIDS worldwide as of 2000 and some countries are likely to lose more than 30 percent of their workforce, said Ronald Berghuys, officer-in-charge of International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Dhaka, adding that the ILO is paying heed to the issue as it also reduces the production and profitability.

"As illness forces workers to leave the jobs, valuable skills and experiences are lost. Along with lower productivity and profitability, tax contributions also decline while the need for public services increases," he said.

It is the appropriate time to intervene in HIV/AIDS issue as the rate of HIV-infection in Bangladesh is still low, said Ronald at the inaugural session of a two-day capacity building workshop for trade unions on HIV/ AIDS.

The workshop, organised by the ILO at a city hotel, is meant for training of the trainers of labour federations so that they can act as peer educators for their fellow trade union members.

In a multimedia presentation on 'The National HIV/ AIDS Scenario in Bangladesh and the Country Response', Dr Mozammel Hoque, deputy programme manager of National AIDS and STD Programme, placed some recommendations for the business sector to combat HIV/AIDS.

Since there is potential impact of HIV/ AIDS on the business, the owners and managers need to understand the impact on their industries and the benefits of HIV/ AIDS prevention programmes, he said.

He also mentioned that HIV/ AIDS programmes for the workforce are one of the most important approaches to involving the business sector in HIV/ AIDS prevention and care.

Representatives from 13 labour federations are taking part in the workshop.

Shahabuddin Khan, programme officer of ILO in Dhaka, M Matiur Rahman, chairman of National Coordination Committee for Workers Education, Dr Zeenat Sultana and Dr Mohammad Hanifuddin were present on the occasion.