Business Unity SA (Busa), is to seek legal certainty on companies’ right to require their staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reports Business Day.
Busa's application to the High Court for a declaratory order on workplace vaccine mandates comes as a growing number of companies look to implement such policies. It comes, too, in a context in which demand for jabs has declined to a level where SA is now unlikely to achieve its target of vaccinating 70% of adults by December and is at risk of not reaching even 50% by year-end.
Employers are permitted to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for their employees under occupational health and safety regulations issued by the Department of Employment & Labour in June.
But Busa wants a declarator from the courts that would provide certainty and give employers confidence “that they are on the right side of the law”, said Busa CEO Cas Coovadia. “This is in the context of the imperative to significantly increase demand for vaccinations and the imperative to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible before the end of the year.”
Busa also supports the initiatives requiring people attending sports matches and other gatherings to show proof of vaccination.
BusinessDay article – Busa looks to court for clarity on mandatory vaccines (Restricted access)
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