Anglo American is to redouble efforts to persuade its employees to go
for HIV/Aids tests and voluntary counselling after failing to persuade
enough staff to do so.
The mining company’s latest Report to society
reveals that only 29 per cent of its employees had undergone tests by
the end of last year, well short of its 2005 target of 50 per cent.
The
company, which has made testing a main plank of its corporate programme
to combat HIV and Aids, says it will put more resources into persuading
staff to take tests, as it believes it will make little progress on
tackling HIV/Aids without doing so. ‘We’re determined to improve on the
figure in future years as it’s our firm belief that this is the entry
point for an effective workplace Aids response,’ it said.
Anglo
American estimates the prevalence of HIV in its African workforce at 23
per cent. HIV-positive employees are offered free treatment with drugs
provided by the company. It reports that for those who receive
treatment, bottom-line savings on HIV-related absenteeism alone can
recoup up to 60 per cent of the cost of the drugs, and that
productivity also rises as a result.
