Fruit processor and manufacturer SPC has become the first Australian company to mandate vaccines for all employees, contractors, and visitors on site.

SPC said that all of its 700 workers, regardless of site location or employment status, would need to schedule their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 15 September 2021, receive the first dose by the end of October, and be fully vaccinated by late November.

Workers who are unable to receive the vaccine due to pre-existing conditions would be considered by the company on a “case-by-case basis.”

SPC chairman Hussein Riafi said lockdowns were not a sustainable solution and the Australian economy needed to open up again.

“The Delta variant poses a significant threat to our people, our customers and the communities we serve. The only path forward for our country is through vaccination.”

“As a company, we believe it is the right thing to do and we must go further to minimise risk and to protect the people we care about from the Delta variant.”

Giles said SPC had already implemented strict COVID-19 restrictions to protect staff, and that mandatory vaccination was the next logical step.

“These plans have ensured our people’s health, safety and job security while ensuring business continuity for the essential service we provide to the broader community. But Australian companies must go further by rapidly vaccinating their staff.”

Some companies such as Microsoft, Google and Disney have already made similar moves overseas. Australian Food and Grocery Council chief executive Tanya Barden said there were other Australian companies wanting to follow suit, but that they were confused by Safe Work Australia’s guidance, and a lack of clarity from the federal government.

“There’s significant interest from the sector in having a no jab, no job-type policy, [but] the legal framework around this seems to be quite grey,” Barden told The Australian Financial Review.

“Businesses have a duty to eliminate and minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in their sites, but at the same time the Safe Work Australia and Fair Work framework doesn’t say you can’t mandate, it doesn’t say you can. That leaves businesses in a bit of grey zone.”

“I think what the government could do is provide more certainty around the legal framework for businesses to make decisions to choose whether or not they mandate vaccinations within their own premises.”

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) slammed SPC’s move, claiming the company failed to properly consult with its workers and their union.

The AMWU said SPC is required by law to consult on WHS decisions, and that the vaccination timeline is unrealistic because some workers who want the vaccine are still unable to access it.

“The issue isn’t people’s willingness to get the vaccine, it’s accessibility. The responsibility for the [Federal] Morrison Government’s failing rollout shouldn’t be shifted onto the shoulders of working people,” AMWU national president Andrew Dettmer said.

“If workers are expected to get jabs in their arms, then we need to ensure the true barriers are removed.”

“Mandating vaccination in workplaces needs to be based on the advice of health professionals and proper risk assessment, not just a poorly consulted plan by bosses.”

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