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The AIDS Law Project (ALP) came out in support of fishing and food company Irvin and Johnson's (I&J) move to perform voluntary anonymous HIV/AIDS testing of workers, without first seeking court approval.
In a potentially precedent-setting case, I&J asked the Labour Court in Cape Town to allow companies to provide testing - if they can guarantee it is voluntary and confidential - after they started an HIV/AIDS education programme for their Cape Town workers last year, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
"Granting the application would increase testing countrywide," said I&J's attorney Dave Loxton, adding that small and medium businesses could not afford to go to court.
Jennifer Joni, an attorney at the AIDS Law Project, said the project supported I&J's move, as the law was not intended to prohibit voluntary testing.
"The Department of Health says people should be finding out about their HIV/AIDS status - that is the same thing that should be happening in our workplaces", Joni was reported as saying.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions