The Morrison Government has refused to budge on employer calls to indemnify businesses that encourage workplace vaccinations and to provide federal support for those who mandate inoculations, while AMMA has warned of the looming "elephant in the room".
The Qantas Group will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after receiving encouragement from a survey sent to 22,000 employees.
IR Minister and Attorney-General Michaelia Cash says a meeting this morning between government agencies, employers and unions will focus on how businesses can comply with COVID-19 work, health and safety obligations, "including without mandating the vaccine".
Unions are questioning gaps in government support payments for aviation workers engaged as labour hire or in receipt of Centrelink allowances, while Jetstar looks to have staved off a dispute over its ability to implement mid-roster stand downs.
Fruit processor SPC has today hit back at union criticism of its plan for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of employees, citing the general legal obligation of employers to provide a safe workplace.
Former Australian Law Council president, barrister Arthur Moses SC, has attempted to offer employers some clarity on whether they can mandate worker vaccinations by highlighting a recent FWC case he describes as "highly instructive" when considering how to approach what he concedes is a difficult question.
The AMWU has objected to what fruit and vegetable processor SPC today described as the country's first mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for its workforce, leaving the door open to possible legal action.
The UK Labour party has promised to replace the country's three existing employment classifications with a single category of "worker" for all but the "genuinely self-employed" if it takes power at the 2024 election.
