SAPTU will help members who prefer not to be vaccinated, threatened with losing their jobs. However, any employees should take note of the steps an employer must abide by law before considering mandatory vaccinations.
The Department of Labour recently updated its guidelines about COVID-19 in the workplace and now requires South African companies to declare whether they plan to make vaccinations compulsory. Employers now have ten days to complete a risk analysis for their business.
Workers can object to the vaccine for religious, constitutional and medical reasons, and employers should try their utmost to accommodate those who reject receiving the vaccine.
“We will support our members when their jobs are jeopardised,” says Adv Ben van der Walt, the General Secretary of SAPTU (South African Parastatal and Tertiary Institutions Union). “Employers cannot issue a one-size-fits-all policy about vaccinations but need to consider each case on its own merits. We will gladly assist if our members feel they are being mistreated.”
SAPTU would like to encourage its members to make an informed decision about their health and the health of their colleagues when considering vaccination.
