Name: Tantra Boreland Persuasive Speech Topic: HIV testing should not be mandatory only in employment such as cooking.

Why should workers be forced to tell their employers of their status? Isnt this an invasion of peoples privacy? According to Public and Commercial services Union 2008, Human immune deficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system leaving the immune system open to attack from other infections. Most people with HIV are healthy looking people and can work effectively in various job areas. Therefore why should employers be inquisitive in a persons privacy just to get information to blab about? If you as an employer is getting the job done why should you have interest in a matter that does not concern you? Yes you may say there are health risks of people been infected so therefore it is your duty to protect your other employees. What you do not know is that the test does not detect HIV antibodies in the blood unless you have been infected approximately three months. So if I have been infected with the virus last night it would not sure during the test the next day. Often we are led to believe that we can be infected with HIV by just coming in contact with persons who have the virus, however let me take your mind off this rubbish. It is quite safe to be working with colleagues who have HIV. It is as simple as that. Most opportunistic diseases contracted by HIV infected employees are no threat to the health of other co-workers. HIV is not transmitted through common, everyday contact such as, touching, shaking hands, hugging, kissing, using toilet facilities, food, cups coughing, bites from mosquitoes or other insects or air conditioning systems. So lets get these myths out of our heads. Employers should spend more time looking information to educate their employees and not invade their privacy. Let me enlightened you some more, Public and Commercial services Union

states that there are only four ways through which HIV can be spread: 1) by having unprotected sex with an infected person 2) by sharing needles, syringes or other drug related items with an infected person 3) by receiving blood during a blood transfusion and 4) by passing on the infection from mother to child during pregnancy, birth and possibly also breast feeding. Therefore in a working environment, the skin must be broken of both parties to risk transmission. I will give you one exception for employees to require HIV testing. For a profession such as a chef or dental assistant would need to reveal their status. Another reason as to why HIV testing should not be a compulsory is that as employers you could be losing the opportunity to hire a good worker and thus the company will lose if it does not have the best people to work with. Can employees with HIV carry on working? Most definitely, Persons who are infected feel healthy and would like to continue working and support their families. However, if they become ill on the job they should be treated as how anyone else with an illness would be expected to be treated. If you as an employer fire or refuse to hire an HIV infected individual you will be promoting discrimination. As a society we should be fighting discrimination. Research shows that where workers HIV status becomes public knowledge at work, victims become the target of hostility. Victims are often subjected to harassment, abuse and discrimination. That is why I will repeat my point; HIV testing should be a private and personal decision for individuals. It should not be the airing of dirty laundry. You see employers will try to play smart, or is it that they are illiterate to the fact that HIV cannot be transmitted from any normal work activities? Health and safety you say, trying to protect other employees. But is this really so? No I disagree. It is an excuse for discriminatory treatment against people with HIV status.

Employers have no right to know. This is an arena into which the state has no right to intrude, or to compel intrusion by others. Employers will know if they employees work is satisfactory or unsatisfactory what more do they need to know than that? If employers find out, they might dismiss a worker which is exactly why many employees dont want to tell them.If workers are forced to disclose the fact that they have HIV, the merit principle will go out the window. Even if not dismissed, their prospects for promotion will be shattered because of prejudice, or the perception that their career has in any meaningful sense been finished by their condition (which is often not the case as sufferers can work and lead fulfilling lives after diagnosis).Even if not fired and career advancement doesnt suffer, prejudice from co-workers is likely. From harassment to reluctance to associate or interact with the employee, this is something the employee knows he might face. He has a right to decide for himself whether or not to make him /her open to that. Managers may promise, or be bound, not to disclose such information to other workers but how likely is enforcement of such an undertaking? What employers should be doing is promoting safe sex and educating their workers through seminars about the HIV virus. Before conducting involuntary HIV testing of your staff or prospective workers, ask yourself this one question. Would you feel comfortable if someone orders you to do the test or knew of your HIV status? No, I dont think so. Well neither does your staff.