Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 17:39:40 -0800 From: International Gay Lesbian Human Rights Commission We are distributing this action on behalf of the Corporacion Chilena de Prevencion del Sida (CChPS). Please direct replies to them at chilaids@cchps.mic.cl (CCHPS). URGENT ACTION REQUESTED FIRED WORKER SUES TO GET JOB BACK -- FIRST CASE IN CHILE -- SEND FAX TO ALL AIDS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, PWA ORGANIZATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, ETC. Rafael Moyano, 25, was fired Jan. 5 from his job as photographic laboratory technician at a major Chilean photo chain, Reifschneider, S.A.C.I.. His dismissal came after repeated questioning by his immediate supervisors and personnel officers about his HIV-positive status. This happens every day in Chile and has been going on for years. The big difference is that Rafael fought back. He is seeking a restraining order from the Court of Appeals to block the firing on the grounds of discrimination. The company continues to insist that Moyano was laid off as part of normal business operations. However, officials have contradicted themselves about the circumstances of the case. Reifschneider's chief of personnel claims that everyone in the company was aware of Moyano's HIV-positive status when he was hired becuase Moyano himself spoke about it freely. (Moyano calls this ludicrous). At the same time, the store manager where he worked said in a television interview that no one knew anything about it. Moyano is being supported by the corporacion Chilena de Prevencion del SIDA (Chilean AIDS Prevention Council), a non-profit group which hired the lawyer. The Corporacion is asking groups and individuals connected with the defense of the basic human rights of people with HIV and AIDS to fax urgent messages to: Reifschneider, S.A.C.I. Jose Manuel Infante 1639, Providencia Santiago, Chile fax 56-2-225 77 13 Please emphasize the right and need of people with HIV to work and the possibility of using the presence of someone with HIV or AIDS to educate the workforce about prevention and solidarity. (The company may be looking for a way to resolve the situation without admitting discrimination.) If you are writing from outside Chile, you might add that businesses all over the world have had the same experience and that it has taken controversies such as these to get owners to grapple with this difficult issues, etc., etc. We would appreciate copies of any messages sent: C.Ch.P.S., Casilla 85, Correo 3, Santiago, Chile. Thank you!! Tim Frasca General Coordinator