The South African government today denied the claim that Nedlac parties have reached agreement on a common position on a comprehensive HIV/Aids policy.
In a statement on Wednesday, Labour Department Director General Rams Ramashia said the claim was false.
As government’s chief negotiator at Nedlac (the National Economic Development and Labour Council), Ramashia said that confusion existed regarding the process and the results following the setting up of the HIV/Aids task team by the Nedlac management committee on 20 September last year.
He said media reports had suggested that representatives for the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) had claimed that the HIV/Aids Task Team had reached an agreement at Nedlac that had been signed by all parties.
”I would like to categorically and unequivocally state that the assertion that Nedlac parties have reached agreement on this matter is false, and devoid of truth.”
Ramashia said it had been said it had been agreed on September 20 last year to set up a task team to try and reach consensus on ”how the social partners could work together to address the issue of HIV/Aids”.
He said a document co-sponsored by Cosatu and TAC had been tabled ”aimed at galvanising a common position on issues such as voluntary testing, counselling, prevention and treatment”.
The labour and community constituencies had proposed that an agreement, on the content of the document should reached by December 1 and announced on World Aids Day.
Government had responded by saying that given the complexity of the issues, agreement by this date was ”unlikely” but had reiterated its commitment to work with the social partners to reach consensus on as many issues as possible by December 1.
Further, Government had stated that it could not commit itself to targets and time frames proposed in the draft text without a full appreciation of the financial and infrastructural consequences.
Ramashia said the task team has not met since the beginning of the year.
He said that at the Nedlac management committee on January 31 it was noted that while substantial progress had been made, agreement on a number of issues was still outstanding.
Ramashia said an advertisement on HIV/Aids policy had subsequently appeared on February 14, the day of the President’s State of the Nation address and the march on Parliament that stated ”this document was agreed to by the Nedlac HIV/Aids task team”.
”Government vehemently denies that what appears in advert was agreed to. Not only is Cosatu’s statement a misrepresentation of the truth but is also a despicable and unjust aspersion on the credibility and integrity of the president.”
”Instead of posturing and grandstanding on such a serious and critical issue, government is of the opinion that the task team should reconvene as soon as possible to discuss proposals aimed at strengthening the progress that Government and other constituencies are already rolling-out. We remain convinced that a partnership approach to addressing the challenge of HIV/Aids will be in the best interest of the country.” – I-Net Bridge