NEW DATA REVEALS MAJORITY OF EMPLOYERS WILL REQUIRE VACCINATION BEFORE HIRING
New data has revealed up to 60 per cent of corporate employers in Australia will require proof of vaccination when screening for new hirings. The research, released by the Australian HR Institute, also revealed that 27 per cent of all companies that have mandated Covid-19 jabs have already dismissed unvaccinated staff.
The Fair Work Commission is now being forced to deal with the legalities of mandating the jab, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison reminded the nation it does not have a sweeping mandatory vaccination policy for all businesses.
“Employers need to consider these matters and make their own decisions remembering we do not have a mandatory vaccination policy in this country, we do not have that, we are not proposing to have that, that is not changing,” Mr Morrison told businesses in August, following a recent meeting of National Cabinet.
“But an employer may wish to make a reasonable directive to staff and if they do so, they will need to do so consistent with the law, and that particularly will deal with a situation where an employee may be in direct contact potentially or becoming infected and acquiring the virus.
“But ultimately they’re choices for the businesses themselves.”
However, AHRI CEO Sarah McCann-Bartlett says that that vaccination status, unlike race or gender, was not protected under discrimination law Down Under.
Companies could not be taken to court “if you make it a requirement of the role for new employees”, however the water appears muddier for requiring existing employees to be vaccinated.
“But you can make vaccination a condition of employment and a number of organisations have done so,” Ms McCann-Bartlett said via The Australian.
Trinity Grammar School in Sydney is one of many workplaces in Australia with an enforced vaccination mandate. Head of human resources Belinda Reid said conversations around the delicate issue were “very respectful, non-judgmental approach, and kept (discussions with staff) highly confidential”.
“It is not our place to force or guilt people into changing their minds,” she said. “(But) I’ve had to effectively tell one staff member that their career is over.”
The new findings came shortly after the Millions March Against Mandatory Vaccination group organised protests in 30 cities and towns across Australia last month.
A sizeable crowd of people of all ages gathered in Hyde Park, with some draped in Australian flags and others holding placards with slogans including “Never lock down again. Less government, more freedom” and “No one can stop the awakening of humanity”.
There is a continued push against governments and employers requiring mandatory medical procedures to stay employed.
Download the AHRI Research Headline Findings here
Source: www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/new-findings-reveal-more-than-half-of-corporate-employers-will-require-vaccination-before-hiring/news-story/562bb1c86a36ebe41b6d0244a47f59d9
