1 December 2003
• Workplace program in South Africa functions as model
• Prof. Schrempp: ''In the fight against HIV/AIDS, all sectors in society need to work together''
''No single institution can win the fight against the terrible HIV/AIDS epidemic by itself. All sectors, including business, NGOs and civil society need to work together.'' This is the message of the DaimlerChrysler CEO Prof. Jürgen E. Schrempp in his function as Chairman of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) on the occasion of World AIDS day on December 1.
Since December 2000, DaimlerChrysler has successfully developed and introduced a comprehensive workplace program to combat HIV/AIDS at its South African company, in cooperation with the Landesgesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). The program has received major attention internationally and is considered exemplary worldwide.
The workplace program offers all employees and their families extensive support to combat HIV/AIDS. Information, prevention, voluntary testing and medical care are among the services the company provides to meet its social and economic responsibilities. Sick leave, replacements for those unable to work, high expenses for training and education as well as health insurance characterize the economic results of HIV/AIDS, in addition to the individual human tragedy of each and every case.
The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) with GTZ secured important core competences in the development and start-up phase. The implementation of the program is largely based on ''peer education,'' specially trained staff who contribute greatly to the acceptance of the program and assist in overcoming the taboos and stigmatization of those affected. The cooperation in the South African automobile workers union NUMSA also proved to be a success factor.
In the three-year start-up phase, a solid foundation was laid at DaimlerChrysler’s company in South Africa for a sustainable workplace program with emphasis on prevention, treatment, care and support. The company’s offer for voluntary HIV tests is finding increasing acceptance, and the utilization of medical services is also rising. This has already lead to a significant decline in sick leave, long-term incapacity to work and death as a result of HIV/AIDS infections. The continuation of the workplace program is intended to reinforce this success. Future work will be centered around expanding the program to suppliers, and supporting employees’ families, as well as those in living in the vicinity of the sites. In doing so, DaimlerChrysler will continue to fulfil its role as a forerunner in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
From 2004, DaimlerChrysler South Africa will continue the program under its own control and also develop it further, beyond the gates of the plant. In so doing, the focus is on cooperation with the communities in the vicinity of the production sites, in particular with hospitals, schools and social institutions.
As a member of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, DaimlerChrysler has committed itself to passing on the insights gained. The GBC serves as a platform for the exchange of ''best practice'' between and beyond companies. It is also planned to increasingly involve small and medium-sized enterprises.
As Chairman of the GBC, DaimlerChrysler CEO Prof. Schrempp clearly stated: ''We need to involve more companies in the battle against HIV/AIDS and have to prepare for the consequences of the epidemic that are starting to show worldwide.''
In its own company, DaimlerChrysler will now increasingly make the knowledge gained in South Africa accessible to its companies in other countries. Parts of the successful workplace program are to be adopted at other locations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Russia and tailored to the relevant requirements. In developed markets such as Germany, stronger provision of information in the area of vocational training is more important. Unfortunately, the latest figures from the AIDS organizations do not show a decline in new infections, even for Germany.