Sandvik Zimbabwe awarded for HIV/AIDS prevention work

Sandvik Zimbabwe has been awarded the Swedish Workplace HIV and AIDS Program (SWHAP) Achievement Award 2015 in the category for Most Comprehensive program. The award recognizes Sandvik’s sustainable and comprehensive approach to addressing the health of its employees and the efforts in community outreach.

The awards were presented at the SWHAP 2015 Annual Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was officiated by Lars Ronnås, Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe, who praised the collective efforts of unions, employers and employees coming together to address HIV and promote good health:

“This program is an excellent example of how employers and employees can join hands for a common cause. Swedish companies recognize that business is good for them when done with a sustainable approach. When trade unions look after the interest of their members, they recognize that thriving business is also to their benefits.”

“A solid workplace wellness program is actually a simple decision” comments Ian Bagshaw, Country Manager Sandvik Zimbabwe. “It’s just good business practice. And to make it successful, all you need is passionate people, energetic peer counselors and a great mentor – which SWHAP is for us.”

“The award is a wonderful recognition of the work we do every day within health and safety for our people, our customers, and our suppliers striving to reach our Zero Harm vision” says Christina Båge-Friborg, Head of Sustainable Business at Sandvik. “It also acknowledges our consistent and long-term commitment to the communities in which we operate”.

SWHAP is an initiative from the International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR) and the Swedish Industrial and Metalworkers’ Union (IF Metall) to support HIV and AIDS programs at Swedish related workplaces in Sub-Saharan Africa.