Businesses with vaccine mandates in SA, more joining in 2022 year

JOHANNESBURG - - Business group B4SA has published a resource guide for South African businesses looking to adopt a mandatory vaccination policy in the new year – covering consultation processes and legal issues that may arise.

B4SA and many other stakeholders, including unions, have called for employers to seriously and urgently consider introducing vaccine mandates in the workplace as a way to protect staff, customers and suppliers from the worst of the COVID-19 virus and its variants.

The policies would also help to drive up the overall vaccination rate in the country, providing a wider umbrella of protection.

“Unless we can drive up vaccination, save lives and reduce the burden on the healthcare system, South Africa will continue to be at risk of further restrictions to social life and economic activity,” B4SA said.

“In South Africa and abroad, momentum for mandates is building across society, with several of South Africa’s large corporates and institutions already having committed to implementing mandatory vaccination policies, after following the prescribed process.

“Social partners at Nedlac, including COSATU, are just some of the many structures and organisations now supporting vaccine mandates,” it said.

To help employers embark on this process, the group has put together a toolkit of resources that outlines what to consider, and what process should be followed.

It also provides links to practical and public resources, ranging from comprehensive independent legal opinions and step-by-step legal guides to links to videos where top company leaders, along with health and legal experts, explain the practicalities and the case for mandatory vaccination in the workplace.

Big companies and institutions have already implemented or put in start dates to implement vaccine mandates, including the likes of Discovery, MTN and large universities.

While early data around the latest omicron variant shows that the virus can break through vaccine protections and still infect those who have received the jab, the vaccines and the booster shots still protect against serious infection and significantly reduce the need for hospitalisation.