The role of HIV/AIDS committees in effective workplace governance of HIV/AIDS in South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
SOURCE: Sahara J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2008
TITLE AUTHOR(S): J.R.Vass
KEYWORDS: HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS COMMITTEES, SMALL MEDIUM AND MICRO ENTERPRISES, WORKPLACE HEALTH PROMOTION (WHP) PROGRAMMES
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 5149
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/5535
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/5535
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2008
TITLE AUTHOR(S): J.R.Vass
KEYWORDS: HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS COMMITTEES, SMALL MEDIUM AND MICRO ENTERPRISES, WORKPLACE HEALTH PROMOTION (WHP) PROGRAMMES
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 5149
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/5535
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/5535
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to assess the role, status and scope of workplace HIV/AIDS committees as a means of effective workplace governance of the HIV/AIDS impact, and their role in extending social protective HIV/AIDS-related rights to employees. In-depth qualitative case studies were conducted in five South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that were actively implementing HIV/AIDS policies and programmes. Companies commonly implemented HIV/AIDS policies and programmes through a workplace committee dedicated to HIV/AIDS or a generic committee dealing with issues other than HIV/AIDS. Management, through the human resources department and the occupational health practitioner often drove initial policy formulation, and had virtually sole control of the HIV/AIDS budget. Employee members of committees were mostly volunteers, and were often production or blue collar employees, while there was a notable lack of participation by white-collar employees, line management and trade unions. While the powers of workplace committees were largely consultative, employee committee members often managed in an indirect manner to secure and extend social protective rights on HIV/AIDS to employees, and monitor their effective implementation in practice. In the interim, workplace committees represented one of the best means to facilitate more effective workplace HIV/AIDS governance. However, the increased demands on collective bargaining as a result of anticipated rises in AIDS-related morbidity and mortality might prove to be beyond the scope of such voluntary committees in the longer term.-
Related Research Outputs:
- The development and dynamics of HIV/AIDS committees in the South African workplace
- Management of HIV/AIDS among small to medium hospitality businesses in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Managing HIV in the workplace: learning from SMEs
- Poor health kills small business: illness and microenterprises in South Africa
- Socio-economic status and HIV risk in the South African workforce: a literature review
- Best practice workplace HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa: a review of case studies and lessons learned
- Do customers flee from HIV?: a survey of HIV stigma and its potential economic consequences on small businesses in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa
- Time for the next steps
- Impacts and interventions: the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the children of South Africa
- Children and HIV/AIDS
- Impacts and interventions: the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the children of South Africa
- Managing chronic diseases in less developed countries: healthy teamworking and patient partnership are just as important as adequate funding
- Nelson Mandela/HSRC study of HIV/AIDS: South African national HIV prevalence, behavioural risks and mass media: household survey 2002
- Sickness, death and poverty - our bequest to orphans
- Sex & risk: facilitator's manual: an HIV/AIDS risk reduction programme for tertiary level students
- Sex & risk: student's workbook an HIV/AIDS risk reduction programme for tertiary level students
- HIV/AIDS and land: case studies from Kenya, Lesotho and South Africa
- Overview of the incidence of poverty in South Africa for the 10-Year Review
- The views of selected Government Departments on the need and use of HIV/AIDS indicators and potential impact of HIV/AIDS on their function
- Proposed indicators to monitor the social impact and other aspects of HIV/AIDS in South Africa