Policy versus reality: a preliminary assessment of the South African code of good practice on HIV/AIDS and key aspects of employment

The study explored the role and effectiveness of a specific policy response by the Department of Labour, the Code of Good Practice on Key Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Employment 2000, to address and mitigate the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace. As a qualitative study, it reflected upon the experiences of intermediaries (AIDS management service providers and trade union IV/AIDS coordinators), and pointed towards a set of broad trends regarding HIV/AIDS policy development and programme implementation in the workplace. Preliminary findings indicated that there was an uneven awareness of the Code of Good Practice, and that it had not emerged as a key advocacy tool for AIDS policy development, or contributed sufficiently to improvements in the quality of HIV/AIDS policies and programmes in the workplace. However, there was significant awareness of key principles, especially with regard to non-discrimination, but not necessarily attributable to the impact of the Code itself. Finally, the existing institutional framework had no effective mechanisms in place to monitor the communication and implementation of the Code in enhancing HIV/AIDS policy development.