|
ITC is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment to all its employees.
These policy guidelines on HIV/AIDS are an endorsement of this resolve and, in particular,
of the Company’s commitment to specific programmes and actions in response to the HIV
epidemic.
The Company’s position is based on scientific and epidemiological evidence proving
that people with HIV/AIDS do not pose a risk of transmission of the virus to co-workers by
casual, non-sexual contact in the normal work setting.
Policy Guidelines
i. Compliance
The Company’s policies on HIV/AIDS with regard to its employees will, at a minimum,
comply with all relevant Central and State legislations and the Company will implement all
policies and directions of the Government regarding HIV/AIDS whenever issued.
ii. Prevention through Awareness
The Company will provide all its employees sensitive, accurate and latest information
about risk reduction strategies in their personal lives, with the objectives of reducing
the stigma of HIV/AIDS, encouraging safe behaviour and improving their understanding of
its treatment.
iii. Safe and Healthy Workplace
The Company is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace to all its employees.
It seeks to ensure that employees have access to health services to prevent and manage
HIV/AIDS.
iv. Non-discrimination
The Company will not discriminate against any employee infected by HIV/AIDS with regard to
promotions, training and other privileges, and benefits as applicable to all employees.
a) An HIV positive employee will be allowed to continue at
his/her job unless
 Medical conditions
interfere with the specific job being done, in which case reasonable alternative working
arrangements will be made; or |
 |
The employee is incapacitated to perform his/her duties and is declared
medically unfit by a medical doctor, in which case the employee will be assisted to
rehabilitate himself/herself outside the Company. b) The
Company will not make pre-employment HIV/AIDS screening mandatory as part of its fitness
to work assessment. Screening of this kind refers to direct methods (HIV testing),
indirect methods (assessment of risk behaviour) and questions about HIV tests already
taken.
c) HIV/AIDS test will not be a part of the annual health
check-ups unless specifically requested for by an employee.
v. Confidentiality
Voluntary testing
for HIV/AIDS, when requested for by the employee, will be carried out by private or
community health services, and not at the workplace.
There will be no
obligation on the part of the employees to inform the Company about their clinical status
in relation to HIV/AIDS.
Information on
clinical diagnosis of an employee in terms of his/her HIV/AIDS status, if advised to the
Company, will be kept strictly confidential.
|
