Companies Drafting 'Covid Vaccine Requirement' Into Contracts For Staff

Companies are reportedly already drafting a Covid vaccine requirement into contracts for staff.

The vaccine rollout is well underway in the UK, with more than 15 million people having at least received their first jab.

And with the hope that further progress over the coming weeks and months will mean sectors such as hospitality will be able to reopen soon, some businesses are expected to require members of staff to be vaccinated in order to work.

The boss of Pimlico Plumbers, Charlie Mullins, said such a policy seems logical and that he would happily pay for all of his employees to receive the jab.

Writing in The Independent, he said: "The past year has had devastating consequences for the economy and society.

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"We have been thrown into not one, but three national lockdowns which have undeniably taken their toll on everyone mentally, physically and financially.

"Now that we finally have a vaccine to stop the spread of this killer virus, why would anyone turn their nose up at it?

"If having a vaccination is what it takes to ensure this lockdown is the last and if it gets the economy back up and running again, then making it compulsory in the workplace seems logical to me."

He added: "Last month, I spoke about how I would be happy to pay for all my staff to receive the Covid-19 vaccination if it becomes available privately.

"I also said I will rewrite employee contracts to include a 'No Jab, No Job' policy for new Pimlico Plumbers staff. I would be willing to bet that, given the choice, most of us would choose a business whose staff were vaccinated over the alternative."

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Meanwhile, care home firm Barchester Healthcare, based in London, has confirmed that people with no medical issues and who refuse to have a jab would not be hired.

A Barchester spokesperson told Care Home Professional: "Our current position is that we are will not hire someone who has refused to have the vaccine on non-medical grounds."

However, the spokesperson also stated that existing staff members would not lose their jobs, should they refuse the vaccine.

They continued: "We have not said that we will sack staff who refuse the vaccine on non-medical grounds; instead we have brought in behavioural nudges which we hope will encourage staff to be cognisant of the responsibility we have to protect our residents and relatives.

"Staff can make their own choice about whether to have the vaccine but we strongly encourage it."

This comes as the UK government said people will not, in fact, be fired if they refuse to get the coronavirus vaccine, saying to do so would be 'discriminatory'.

Politicians also ruled out vaccine passports, as, again, this would be considered 'discriminatory'.

Topics: Science, vaccine, Coronavirus, Politics, Health, Covid-19

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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