Qantas has joined in becoming the latest airline who has said all of its employees should be vaccinated against Covid-19. It has mandated jabs for all its frontline workers.
Essential employees including pilots, flight attendants and airport staff should be fully vaccinated by mid-November, according to the company memo.
Compulsory Vaccination Policy
The company says that the other employees have time until the end of March next year to get both their vaccine doses.
It comes as New South Wales reports its largest daily increase in coronavirus infections.
The Australian National carrier is the largest, most advanced company to introduce compulsory vaccination policy for staff.
What Did Qantas Chief Say?
“We provide an essential service, so this will help guard against the disruptions that can be caused by just one positive COVID-case shutting down a freight facility or airport terminal,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in a statement.
“It’s clear that vaccinations are the only way to end the cycle of lockdowns and border closures and for a lot of Qantas and Jetstar employees that means getting back to work again,” he added.
Survey
Qantas said a survey of its 22,000 employees found that 89% of respondents had already been vaccinated or planned to be jabbed and about three-quarters of them thought it should be binding on everyone to be vaccinated.
It said 4% of the nearly 12,000 respondents – an estimated 480 workers – were unwilling or unable to get jabbed.
The airline said workers with written medical reasons for not being able to be vaccinated would be granted freedom.
So in its entirety, Qantas actually is asking its employees to make a choice between jab or work.
Covid Impact
The Flying Kangaroo is hit hardest as compared to any other Australian business.
It has also been the largest recipient of government funding – expected to be A $ 2bn (£ 1.1bn; $ 1.45bn) by the end of the year – to help it continue operating at a time when most of its flights were not available.
