[1867] in peace2
reply immediately: Coca-Cola Protests
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Shefali Oza)
Fri Sep 6 15:51:11 2002
Message-Id: <200209061950.PAA13597@melbourne-city-street.mit.edu>
Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 15:48:39 -0400
To: peace-announce@mit.edu
From: Shefali Oza <sboza@MIT.EDU>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
types="text/plain,text/html";
boundary="=====================_284106828==_.ALT"
--=====================_284106828==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
If any of you are interested in attending the global day of protests against
Coca-Cola in New York City on October 17, please email me immediately.
Everyone
is STRONGLY encouraged to attend. The bus/van will leave mit at about 6 in
the
morning and return around 11 at night. This is a Thursday, but well worth
it.
The protests are because Coca-Cola is refusing to provide AIDS treatment for
workers and their dependents in developing countries, which affects over
100,000 workers.
below is pasted a letter sent out a couple of months ago.
if you have any questions, feel free to email me.
shefali
COCA-COLA, WORKPLACE HIV TREATMENT, AND A GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST
Dear Colleagues,
Please distribute the following announcement widely. It invites
organizations to endorse and take part in a Global Day of Protest
against Coca-Cola on October 17, 22, for refusing to provide AIDS
treatment for workers and their dependents in developing countries.
The struggle for expanding affordable access to AIDS treatment gained
a victory in August of 2002, when under pressure from labor and AIDS
groups, the mining giants Anglo American, Anglo Gold and De Beers
agreed to provide AIDS treatment-including antiretroviral drugs-to
their workers. In the case of De Beers, the offer extends to a single
sex partner of a De Beer's worker-but not to dependents. Gold Fields
stands out as one of the largest mining corporations in sub-Saharan
Africa left that still refuses to provide AIDS drugs to its
workforce, with an estimated HIV seroprevalence of 25%.
While we believe the onus of public health is on the public sector,
businesses have a responsibility to fulfill the human right to
treatment among HIV positive workers and dependents. As corporations
implement workplace treatment programs, pressure is brought upon on
governments who are no longer credible in their arguments that
treatment is not feasible.
Coca-Cola, another corporation that has enjoyed a rapidly growing
market, decades of escalating profit and low labor costs in Africa,
also refuses to pay for HIV treatment for the bulk of its workers.
Instead, Coke issued a policy in June 2001 that only HIV positive
people among Coke administrative staff are eligible for access to
treatment. This leaves almost 100,000 bottlers and distributors
without access to medicines should they become sick with HIV.
We challenge Coca-Cola to fulfill its fundamental obligation- to
implement comprehensive HIV/AIDS workplace programs and policies,
which include treatment and care for infected workers and their
dependents.
With the HIV/AIDS pandemic decimating whole societies, Coca-Cola must
take responsibility for its workplace policies and programs and
ensure all HIV infected workers, and their dependents, have access to
AIDS treatment and care.
We ask you to join us in this campaign. Without international
pressure and attention on Coca-Cola, their policy of inaction and
neglect resulting in otherwise preventable infections and needless
illness and death in its massive workforces in Africa, and in Asia,
particularly India and Thailand will not change.
In Solidarity,
Sharonann Lynch
Health GAP
ACT UP New York
Already approved by TAC. will be signed by Zackie, Mark or Theo.
Treatment Action Campaign
South Africa
----------------------------------
Shefali Oza
450 Memorial Dr.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 225-9332
sboza@mit.edu
----------------------------------
--=====================_284106828==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
<html>
If any of you are interested in attending the global day of protests
against Coca-Cola in New York City on October 17, please email me
<b>immediately</b>. Everyone is STRONGLY encouraged to
attend. The bus/van will leave mit at about 6 in the morning and
return around 11 at night. This is a Thursday, but well worth
it. <br>
<br>
The protests are because Coca-Cola is refusing to provide AIDS treatment
for workers and their dependents in developing countries, which affects
over 100,000 workers. <br>
<br>
below is pasted a letter sent out a couple of months ago. <br>
<br>
if you have any questions, feel free to email me. <br>
<br>
shefali<br>
<br>
COCA-COLA, WORKPLACE HIV TREATMENT, AND A GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST<br>
<br>
Dear Colleagues,<br>
<br>
Please distribute the following announcement widely. It invites <br>
organizations to endorse and take part in a Global Day of Protest <br>
against Coca-Cola on October 17, 22, for refusing to provide AIDS <br>
treatment for workers and their dependents in developing countries.<br>
<br>
The struggle for expanding affordable access to AIDS treatment gained
<br>
a victory in August of 2002, when under pressure from labor and AIDS
<br>
groups, the mining giants Anglo American, Anglo Gold and De Beers <br>
agreed to provide AIDS treatment-including antiretroviral drugs-to <br>
their workers. In the case of De Beers, the offer extends to a single
<br>
sex partner of a De Beer's worker-but not to dependents. Gold Fields
<br>
stands out as one of the largest mining corporations in sub-Saharan
<br>
Africa left that still refuses to provide AIDS drugs to its <br>
workforce, with an estimated HIV seroprevalence of 25%.<br>
<br>
While we believe the onus of public health is on the public sector,
<br>
businesses have a responsibility to fulfill the human right to <br>
treatment among HIV positive workers and dependents. As corporations
<br>
implement workplace treatment programs, pressure is brought upon on
<br>
governments who are no longer credible in their arguments that <br>
treatment is not feasible.<br>
<br>
Coca-Cola, another corporation that has enjoyed a rapidly growing <br>
market, decades of escalating profit and low labor costs in Africa,
<br>
also refuses to pay for HIV treatment for the bulk of its workers. <br>
Instead, Coke issued a policy in June 2001 that only HIV positive <br>
people among Coke administrative staff are eligible for access to <br>
treatment. This leaves almost 100,000 bottlers and distributors <br>
without access to medicines should they become sick with HIV.<br>
<br>
We challenge Coca-Cola to fulfill its fundamental obligation- to <br>
implement comprehensive HIV/AIDS workplace programs and policies, <br>
which include treatment and care for infected workers and their <br>
dependents.<br>
<br>
With the HIV/AIDS pandemic decimating whole societies, Coca-Cola must
<br>
take responsibility for its workplace policies and programs and <br>
ensure all HIV infected workers, and their dependents, have access to
<br>
AIDS treatment and care.<br>
<br>
We ask you to join us in this campaign. Without international <br>
pressure and attention on Coca-Cola, their policy of inaction and <br>
neglect resulting in otherwise preventable infections and needless <br>
illness and death in its massive workforces in Africa, and in Asia,
<br>
particularly India and Thailand will not change.<br>
<br>
<br>
In Solidarity,<br>
<br>
Sharonann Lynch<br>
Health GAP<br>
ACT UP New York<br>
<br>
Already approved by TAC. will be signed by Zackie, Mark or Theo.<br>
Treatment Action Campaign<br>
South Africa <br>
<br>
<div>----------------------------------</div>
<div>Shefali Oza</div>
<div>450 Memorial Dr.</div>
<div>Cambridge, MA 02139</div>
<div>(617) 225-9332</div>
<div>sboza@mit.edu</div>
----------------------------------
</html>
--=====================_284106828==_.ALT--
