coronavirus, workplace vaccine, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID vaccine, Pfizer, AstraZeneca
Workplace authorities say only very few businesses will be able to force their workers to get the COVID-19 jab as Australia prepares to roll out the vaccine. The Fair Work Ombudsman on Friday said it had fielded questions from employers about what they could and couldn’t do when it came to workers getting the jab. It emphasised that “the overwhelming majority” of Australian employers should assume they wouldn’t be able to mandate the vaccine. It said businesses essentially only could if there was some specific law that required a worker to be vaccinated, or if they had an agreement or contract with a worker that stipulated they had to get the vaccine. In lieu of these things, the ombudsman said employers could give their workers a direction to get the jab – but only if that direction was “lawful and reasonable”. “On its own, the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t automatically make it reasonable for an employer to direct their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus,” the ombudsman warned. It said it might be reasonable for employers to direct their workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine if they, for example, worked in hotel quarantine or border control and were at an “elevated risk” of being infected with coronavirus. The ombudsman said it might also be reasonable for an employer to direct employees to get the jab if workers had close contact with people most vulnerable to the virus, like elderly or sick people. The ombudsman said that, if all of that fell into place and a worker refused to get the jab, they could reprimand them through disciplinary action. But, it said: “Stand downs are unlikely to be an available option for employers if an employee refuses a direction to be vaccinated.” The ombudsman said that, in most circumstances, businesses could require prospective employees to get the COVID-19 jab. Attorney-General Christian Porter said the guidance reinforced the federal government’s broad “stance that vaccination should be voluntary”. “As the Prime Minister has said many times, the Government expects that the overwhelming majority of Australians will want to be vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones, and so they can get on with their lives without disruption,” Mr Porter said on Friday. More to come.
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Workplace authorities say only very few businesses will be able to force their workers to get the COVID-19 jab as Australia prepares to roll out the vaccine.
The Fair Work Ombudsman on Friday said it had fielded questions from employers about what they could and couldn’t do when it came to workers getting the jab.
It emphasised that “the overwhelming majority” of Australian employers should assume they wouldn’t be able to mandate the vaccine.
It said businesses essentially only could if there was some specific law that required a worker to be vaccinated, or if they had an agreement or contract with a worker that stipulated they had to get the vaccine.
In lieu of these things, the ombudsman said employers could give their workers a direction to get the jab – but only if that direction was “lawful and reasonable”.
“On its own, the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t automatically make it reasonable for an employer to direct their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus,” the ombudsman warned.
It said it might be reasonable for employers to direct their workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine if they, for example, worked in hotel quarantine or border control and were at an “elevated risk” of being infected with coronavirus.
The ombudsman said it might also be reasonable for an employer to direct employees to get the jab if workers had close contact with people most vulnerable to the virus, like elderly or sick people.
The ombudsman said that, if all of that fell into place and a worker refused to get the jab, they could reprimand them through disciplinary action.
But, it said: “Stand downs are unlikely to be an available option for employers if an employee refuses a direction to be vaccinated.”
The ombudsman said that, in most circumstances, businesses could require prospective employees to get the COVID-19 jab.
Attorney-General Christian Porter said the guidance reinforced the federal government’s broad “stance that vaccination should be voluntary”.
“As the Prime Minister has said many times, the Government expects that the overwhelming majority of Australians will want to be vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones, and so they can get on with their lives without disruption,” Mr Porter said on Friday.
Attorney-General Christian Porter. Picture: Sitthixay Ditthavong
