Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “Stigma has a profound impact on people living with HIV, with three in four having experienced discrimination due to their HIV status. Medical advancements mean that people with HIV can expect to live long, healthy lives and society has the tools to stop HIV transmissions for good. Despite this, a widespread lack of awareness of the facts continues to generate high levels of stigma and discrimination. This has a disproportionate impact on LGBT+ people, despite new HIV diagnoses falling for this group.
 
“In the workplace, HIV discrimination manifests itself in multiple ways including breaches of confidentiality, isolation, harassment and not having contracts or offers of employment renewed. Raising awareness of the facts about HIV tackles stigma and removes the fear that often surrounds the virus. It enables those living with HIV to be treated equally and with dignity and respect. This in turn makes accessing testing and living with HIV easier.”
 
Usdaw is calling for the TUC to:

• Encourage unions to raise awareness of the facts and take action to tackle HIV stigma.
• Support the work unions are doing with employers to end HIV discrimination in the workplace.
• Lobby Government to deliver an HIV action plan. 

Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion