Remarks by Grace Strachan, Director
ILO Subregional Office for the Caribbean
It is my pleasure to be sharing in this Caribbean Trade Unions' Strategic Planning Summit on HIV/AIDS in the Workplace and I join the Chair in welcoming you. I extend a special word of welcome to Trinidad and Tobago to all overseas participants and resource persons. I wish in particular to acknowledge the presence of the representative of the Solidarity Center of the AFL-CIO, the representative of the International Transport Federation and the representative of the ICFTU, as well as my ILO colleague, Dr. Benjamin O. ALLI, Coordinator of Technical Cooperation and Advisory Services in the ILO Global Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work.
Let me begin by saying how delighted I am that this meeting will focus on strategic planning. For as this audience is very well aware, we have already had several meetings at the Caribbean and national levels, with trade union participation, which have set the stage and mapped out what needs to be done. As Bro. George DePeana, in his own unique style, has pointed out in recent meetings, the time for talk shops on HIV/AIDS is passed. We at the ILO couldn't agree more. It is now time for action and more specifically, time for effective action.
If we needed any justification for urgent action, we need look no further than the latest statistics for 2003 released by UNAIDS. The chilling news here is that there has been no abatement in the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. On the contrary, some countries have seen a four-to five-fold increase in just 10 years. The increase in infection among women has greatly increased, and those in their productive years, including the young, are most affected. You will agree that this is an alarming situation and the implications for enterprises, trade unions, governments and workers and their families are increasingly grave.
Given these statistics, we must acknowledge the sad fact that while there has been a great deal of commitment and activity to respond to the crisis in the Caribbean, this has not yet turned the epidemic around. And what is particularly troubling is the fact that the potential disaster that the Caribbean faces is still not sufficiently appreciated by many persons in leadership roles in the world of work. I want to emphasize that if we have learned any lessons at all from the devastation from HIV/AIDS that is plaguing many parts of the world, it is this. Leaders of enterprises, employers' organizations as indeed trade unions must be leaders on HIV/AIDS.
In this regard, I wish to recall that Caribbean trade union leaders have played an instrumental role in scaling up the ILO's response and placing HIV/AIDS high on the ILO's agenda. Yet, if we can be frank among friends, the fact is that with some exceptions, trade unions in the Caribbean have not been as proactive as they could be in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
I would however acknowledge that there have been some important initiatives.
A good starting point, I would suggest, is a frank assessment of the steps that you have taken to date to implement the commitments made on behalf of Caribbean trade unions in the Platform of Action. What do you still need to do? What resources do you need? Bearing in mind the urgency of the situation, what time frame should you give yourself for action?
I want to remind you that tools exist that can help you in this strategic exercise. The ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work, about which my colleagues will brief you during the Summit, provides guidelines and key principles for action. An ILO education and training manual complements the Code, providing a key tool for implementation. Sister UN agencies and national Aids programmes have a wealth of information on HIV/AIDS.
But as useful as these tools are, there can be no substitute for commitment and a will to act.
I would urge you therefore as trade unions, to become effective advocates for world of work interventions and for your representation on key bodies that address HIV/AIDS. I urge you not to sit back and wait to be asked. I urge you to go knocking on the doors of policy makers, national aids programmes, national coordinating bodies, Ministries of Labour and necessary partners, and, of course, I urge you to engage in joint action with employers, to make sure that world of work concerns and issues are adequately taken into account.
In just a few years, we have seen a significant increase in the resources being made available for world of work interventions. We are appreciative of the contribution that the United States Department of Labour is making to the ILO for comprehensive world of work programmes in Belize, Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean. Workers' organizations have a key role to play in designing and implementing activities. They will also be beneficiaries of these projects. Your challenge however will be to ensure that the resources from the USDOL-funded projects, as well as from other sources such as the Global fund and other donors, are used for complementary action. But you can only do this if you have a clear understanding of what needs exist.
Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen: The framework for action is in place. The commitments have been made. The tools are available. Resources are there. It is now up to you to play your part. The ILO remains ready to assist and support you in your efforts. Together, we must work to ensure that workers, their families, workplaces, and communities are saved from the potentially devastating impact that HIV/AIDS could have on the Caribbean. Thank you.
I wish to also call to mind, that almost two years ago, the ILO's constituents, including trade unions, adopted the Platform for Action on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work in the Caribbean at the ILO sub-regional meeting that was held in Barbados. This Platform for Action contains your commitments to action. I would encourage you to use this Summit to ensure that plans are put in place to carry out those commitments.
Created: February 2004 by SJ