Sustainability website / HIV and AIDS / Workplace initiatives

HIV and AIDS

Xstrata operates in locations with high or rapidly growing prevalence of HIV and AIDS, in particular South Africa, where we employ over 21,000 employees and contractors and up to one in five adults are HIV-positive. Xstrata also operates a nickel exploration project in Tanzania. A voluntary counselling, testing and treatment programme is also in place in the Dominican Republic although prevalence rates in the country are relatively low at less than 1% of the population.

In all high or growing risk regions, we implement confidential, voluntary HIV and AIDS counselling, testing and treatment programmes for employees and contractors in the workplace. These initiatives are complemented by education and awareness-raising programmes and are undertaken in close partnership with unions and employees’ families and partners.

In addition to workplace initiatives, Xstrata provides community access to testing and treatment for HIV and AIDS where relevant, in partnership with stakeholders including government, NGOs, health providers, unions, industry peers or companies operating in a similar region.

South Africa

We recognise that unchecked, the spread of HIV and AIDS represents a significant risk to our current and future workforce and to the stability of communities in which we operate in South Africa. A cost-benefit analysis conducted in 2003 estimated the cost of doing nothing at 3-6% of our South African wage bill annually, based on increased workplace-related costs alone including absenteeism, sickness and death benefits, recruitment and retraining. In contrast, the benefit of early intervention to prevent the disease spreading further and to enable employees to live longer and more productive lives with HIV demonstrated a very clear business benefit within the first three to five years. This analysis informed the proactive strategy that we put in place to address HIV and AIDS in the workplace which commenced in 2004.

Xstrata has set 100% targets for its workplace programmes:

• 100% of employees and contractors know their HIV status
• 100% of HIV-positive employees and contractors are enrolled in wellness programmes
• 100% safe behaviour to prevent new infections.

Working with health service provider Re-Action!, these targets are rooted in an innovative approach that aims to empower each participant to take responsibility for his or her own health and wellbeing in a broader sense, using the message “I know the way to live”. Xstrata Coal and Xstrata Alloys both made good progress towards these 100% targets in 2007.

At the end of 2007, over 95% of Xstrata Coal employees knew their HIV status and had participated in continuous voluntary testing within the last 12 months. Xstrata Coal has set a target to maintain VCT participation in 2008 at over 90%. Xstrata Alloys achieved an uptake of approximately 68% for voluntary counselling and testing at its operations, up from 20% in the previous year and is targeting 80% participation by the end of 2008.

The workplace programme comprises a number of important elements which have contributed to its success:

• Senior management visibly participates in the VCT programme
• Employee unions have been involved in designing and implementing the programme from its inception
• Every Xstrata Coal employee and contractor is required to attend a health interview on an annual basis at which testing, counselling and treatment is offered on a voluntary basis, helping to overcome any barriers associated with stigma
• The programme is administered by a third party company, helping to overcome concerns about confidentiality and discrimination, particularly in the early stages of the programme
• Monthly site-level HIV steering committees comprising management, unions and employees meet to discuss the operation’s HIV strategy and performance and suggest amendments and improvements
• Volunteer employee Wellness Champions acting as advocates in the workplace receive regular training to assist them to encourage and support colleagues in taking up testing and treatment
• Key performance indicators have been introduced for site managers, measuring the frequency with which VCT is made available, the effectiveness of HIV site steering committees and the effectiveness and frequency of training for Wellness Champions.

The new infection rate is very low with less than 1% of employees testing HIV-positive through the continuous VCT programme. However, the challenge has been to encourage those people who have tested HIV-positive to take up treatment and care. In 2007, 54% of Xstrata Coal and 40% of Xstrata Alloys’ employees and contractors who tested HIV-positive have registered in the treatment and wellness programme or with their own doctor. Both businesses are developing a number of initiatives to encourage greater participation in free treatment programmes and Xstrata Coal has set a medium-term target of enrolling 65% of HIV-positive employees and contractors into treatment and care this year.

As part of these efforts, Xstrata Coal is also working with traditional healers to encourage a co-ordinated, complementary response to HIV and AIDS through this influential community group. In addition, one Xstrata Coal employee who is living with HIV and is enrolled into the treatment programme volunteered to be identified to act as an advocate for testing and treatment. Following her example, a number of other employees are considering taking this step.