An Antiretroviral Therapy centre. Image used for representation
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A 53-year-old lorry driver has alleged that his employer dismissed him after learning of his HIV status. The private firm, however, has denied the allegation.
The man, a resident of Tiruchengode, had been working as a lorry driver at Christy Foods in Andipalayam, near Tiruchengode. On August 9, while on duty, he slipped and fell from the lorry, sustaining injuries. The company immediately took him to a private hospital in Tiruchengode and later admitted him to a private hospital in Salem. While testing his blood, the hospital staff discovered that he was HIV-positive.
“I begged the hospital not to reveal this to anyone, particularly to the company. But the private hospital allegedly informed my employer. The firm immediately removed me from the rolls,” he alleged.
He further alleged that the company had previously dismissed four employees after they were diagnosed with HIV.
The man, who has been living with HIV for nine years, said he had been employed at the company for the past eight years. “My monthly salary was ₹24,000, and I live alone,” he said.
He added that after the dismissal, the company offered to pay him ₹5,000 every month on humanitarian grounds.
The lorry driver demanded action against the private hospital that informed the company about the HIV result, and also against the company for unfairly dismissing him.
‘State must intervene’
An activist living with HIV said the State government should strictly instruct companies not to discriminate against employees diagnosed with HIV. “Awareness should also be given to all companies, and the government should put an end to such social boycotting. The State is allocating funds to create awareness every year but no one knows whether they are spent properly,” he claimed.
When contacted, Sanjay (who prefers to go by his first name), general manager of Christy Foods, denied the man’s allegations and claimed that action was taken against the employee because he used to come to work drunk. “That is why we decided to dismiss him. The four persons who were removed from work earlier had completed 58 years. We, however, give them ₹5,000 per month on humanitarian grounds. Our company is not discriminating against HIV-positive persons. In this case too, we offered to pay ₹5,000 per month to the employee for the rest of his life,” Mr. Sanjay added.
The employee stated he does not consume alcohol.
The Salem District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit officials said they would inquire into whether the private hospital disclosed the information about the person living with HIV to the company. As per the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act 2017, disclosing the details of HIV-infected persons to the public is banned. “We will inquire into the incident,” the officials added.
Published – November 11, 2025 06:42 pm IST
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