World Aids Day

Building an integrated workplace response to HIV and COVID-19 in Indonesia

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Council of the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Health, and the ILO organized eight national public dialogues with a view to finding ways to build an integrated workplace response to HIV and COVID-19 in Indonesia. The dialogues promoted awareness on workers’ safety and health during the COVID -19 pandemic, and discussed ways as well as good practices of adopting an integrated approach to HIV and COVID-19 at workplaces in Indonesia.

Article | 01 December 2020

Background

The 68/2004 Manpower Ministerial Decree on HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Workplaces and the 44/2005 Manpower Occupational Safety and Health Norms Directorate General Decree on Aids Care Awards for Companies are the basis of HIV prevention at workplace in Indonesia, besides the international guidelines provided by the ILO Recommendation on HIV and AIDS (No. 200).
The number of companies implementing HIV prevention at workplace has increased from 170 in 2018 to 233 in 2019.
Come 2020, COVID-19 posed a serious threat, not just to the lives and livelihoods of people but also to the continuity of HIV programmes. Companies implementing HIV programmes struggled to continue with their HIV activities due to disruption of economic activities, teleworking and the need to follow social distancing during COVID-19.

Salient features of Strategy:

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Council of the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Health, and the ILO organized eight national public dialogues with a view to finding ways to build an integrated workplace response to HIV and COVID-19 in Indonesia.
The dialogues promoted awareness on workers’ safety and health during the COVID -19 pandemic, and discussed ways as well as good practices of adopting an integrated approach to HIV and COVID-19 at workplaces in Indonesia.


The dialogues were organized using zoom and telecast on the social media/Youtube channels of the ILO and the National OSH Council. Over 2500 participants – OSH staff, doctors, human resource department staff from enterprises, labour inspectors, employers’ organizations, trade unions, staff from the national and provincial AIDS programmes, people living with HIV and experts – participated in each session to share their views and practices.

The dialogues were planned keeping in mind the emergency responses that are needed in the context of COVID-19 without losing sight of structural drivers of HIV and the need to build a rights-based integrated workplace response to HIV and COVID-19.
The dialogues covered themes such as OSH response and synergy of HIV/AIDS with COVID-19 response; protecting young workers; protecting workers from increased violence and harassment during COVID-19; implementing an integrated non-discriminatory workplace policy on HIV and COVID-19; health and well-being of workers; and reaching out to workers with HIV self- testing.


“Through its provincial offices nationwide, the Ministry of Health has developed services dedicated to HIV and AIDS and ensured adequate availability of ARV treatment for people living with HIV. We ensure that there is no discrimination in the implementation of this service in times of COVID-19"
- Dr Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Director for Preventing Infectious Diseases,
Ministry of Health, Indonesia

“The Manpower Ministry has strengthened its employment service to ensure workers’ safety when going back to work. We have developed online OSH services that are accessible to all and provide guidance on integrating HIV and COVID-19 prevention programme at the enterprise level.”
- Dr Muzakir, Labour Inspector, Ministry of Manpower, Indonesia

“We have integrated HIV prevention programme with the COVID-19. This is to ensure a safe workplace and to protect both workers as well as the management. Combined testing for HIV and COVID-19 is also cost- effective for the company.”
- Dr Irwan Wicaksono, HSE Manager, PT Cilegon Fabricators, Indonesia.

“As most of our attention is drawn to COVID-19 pandemic, the integrated programme is a good strategy to ensure that HIV and AIDS are not left behind. We can deal with these two pandemics through an integrated programme,”
- Dr Adi Sasongko, Kusuma Buana Foundation, a local NGO working on HIV/AIDS at the workplace with support from the ILO.

"The integration of HIV and AIDS prevention programme into companies’ existing OSH programmes will help Indonesia achieve the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, as envisaged in the sustainable development agenda. COVID-19 should not be allowed to slow down the ongoing work on HIV and AIDS. Hence, an integrated approach, as endorsed in our dialogues makes tremendous sense. ”
- Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO for Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

Results

  1. The virtual dialogues led to an improved awareness on HIV and COVID-19 prevention.
  2. The dialogues strengthened the commitment to HIV and AIDS ensuring that HIV work place programmes are not affected due to COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. The dialogues generated useful recommendations for the draft National Action Plan on HIV and AIDS at workplaces, the AIDS and Sexual Transmitted Diseases National Action Plan 2020-2024, and the National OSH Strategy 2021-2023.

Next Steps

  1. Finalize the National Action Plan on HIV and AIDS at workplaces.
  2. Implement the recommendations made by stakeholders to enhance awareness and services on HIV and AIDS and COVID-19 in workplaces in Indonesia.
  3. Strengthen the collaboration amongst the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Manpower, employers’ / workers’ organizations and enterprises to implement a rights-based workplace programme on HIV and COVID-19.