The challenge of HIV/AIDS for the Durban Chamber
Friday, May 03, 2002 Presentation by Dr Jeya Wilson, Chair of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to International Chambers of Commerce in Paris, 6 December 2001.
"More people have died of AIDS in the past year in Africa than in all the wars on the continent." - Kofi Annan, March 2000
The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the largest Chamber in South Africa, with about 4 500 member companies. The Chamber has the only HIV/AIDS Desk for business, which was established in 2000 following the World AIDS Conference. The province of KwaZulu-Natal, where Durban is located,has the highest rate of infection in the world.
What does Business do now? - The Ostrich Response
* Tendency to put its head in the sand and do little or nothing.
* Consider HIV/AIDS to be a Human Resources issue alone. Majority of CEOs/MDs do not consider it to be a business concern.
* Move away from labour-intensive production technologies. Avoid or minimise hiring those who come from high-risk groups.
* Ignore increased labour costs
* Ignore increased costs of employee benefits. In 1995 these benefits were about 7 per cent of payroll costs ?– by 2010 it is estimated they would cost around 18 per cent.
* Ignore impact on investment and the added cost of doing business.
* Ignore the impact of increasing number of-child headed households.
* Ignore the impact on product lines and market demand, and the lessening of disposable income.
What Business must do ?– the strategic imperatives
* Recognise that no-one needs to die from AIDS. Management of treatment is far more effective in the workplace.
* Prolong the productive life of employees and, at best, provide treatment for employee and spouse. More cost-effective than filling skills gaps through retraining and hiring.
* Prevent new infections. Pay for rape insurance policies for staff and families.
* Use marketing and branding skills at its disposal to promote:
* Single partner relationships as being sexy.
* Value systems that distinguish between ?“good?” and ?“unacceptable?” behaviour
* Explode the ?“rape a virgin?” myth
* Recognise that one size does not fit all. Tailor policies that are gender, age and sector-specific.
* Adapt international best practice for business and HIV/AIDS.
* Create more flexible and attractive work patterns to retain the ?“survivor generation?” of workers.
* Undergo radical change in mindset ?– Make HIV/AIDS a boardroom issue.
* Get a wake-up call.
"The severity of the economic impact of the disease is directly related to the fact that most of the infected persons are in the peak productive and reproductive age groups. AIDS kills those on whom society relies to grow the crops, work in the mines and factories, run the schools and hospitals, and govern the nationals and countries." - Nelson Mandela
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