SPC FIRST AUSSIE COMPANY TO MANDATE NO JAB NO WORK

Food processing and packaging operation SPC has become the first Australian company to mandate all staff be vaccinated against Covid, in a move that will likely open the floodgates to many more businesses following the same path.

However, the no jab no work move will raise a host of legal and ethical questions over the rights of the individual, and discrimination, against the rights of the business to operate, without fear of lockdown, and the rights of the larger group of staff to work in a safe workplace.

Until now most companies, including most printers, have been encouraging staff to vaccinate. SPC will now make it a condition of employment by the end of November. All visitors to an SPC site will also be required to be vaccinated.

Prime minister Scott Morrison expressed his support for the move, saying it was an issue, "that we will be watching closely". He said: "Where people are taking decisions they believe are dealing with their concerns and their interests then that's something the Coalition government has always been supportive of... but that's always subject to the rule of law." No jab no work is certain to be challenged in the courts.

SPC is requiring all its employees, including casual and permanent staff, as well as contractors, to have at least the first dose of the vaccine scheduled by 15 September, with that first dose administered by the end of October, and to have both doses by November.

All staff will be aided and offered compensation via paid time off when required to receive their vaccinations, as well as special paid leave of up to two days for any staff who may become unwell after vaccination.

For those with a pre-existing condition and who are unable to receive the vaccine, their circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

SPC chair Hussein Rifai said the company’s leadership team and board recognised the significant threat of the virus to its employees, the community and the business.

“Lockdowns are not a sustainable solution and the Australian economy needs to open up again. The only path forward for our country is through vaccination,” Hussein said.

SPC CEO Robert Giles said companies had to go further in ensuring employee safety and business continuity by rapidly vaccinating their staff.

“Taking proactive steps now means we are shoring up our company for the future. We firmly believe that it will be manufacturers and innovators like SPC who will help drive Australia’s post-Covid economic recovery,” Giles said.

The company said a fully vaccinated workforce ensures SPC can continue to deliver an essential service, while helping Australia return to an open economy in line with the prime minister’s four-point plan out of Covid.