Will SA workers be denied right to work without Covid-19 vaccination?
Business Unity SA wants to get a declaratory Constitutional Court order so employers can make vaccinations compulsory in the workplace.
The prospect of mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for access to the workplace was highlighted at Nedlac’s 26th Annual Summit which could mean that unvaccinated workers won’t be able to go into the office or factory to work.
Speaking at the virtual summit on Tuesday, Minister of Employment and Labour, Thembelani Thulas Nxesi congratulated the country’s social partners for their collective effort to fight the Covid19 pandemic.
Other speakers included Nedlac Executive Director Lisa Seftel, Valli Moosa, deputy chair of the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission, economist Mzwanele Ntshwanti, economist, and Professor Koleka Mlisana, Chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Covid-19, and Executive Manager Research and Quality Assurance at the National Health Laboratory Service. Community convenor, Thulani Tshefuta, and labour convenor, Bheki Ntshalintshali, as well as CEO for Business Unity South Africa, Cas Coovadia also addressed delegates.
The annual summit aims to inform the public of Nedlac’s achievements, to reflect on the past year and identify issues ahead.
Nxesi said that in periods of economic, social and political crisis “the need for social dialogue and strong institutions such as Nedlac become very apparent”.
He said Nedlac had facilitated an “all-of-society response” to the pandemic, including enhancing occupational health and safety to safeguard the workplace from Covid-19.
Consensus on vaccinations to prevent lockdowns
There was consensus at the meeting on the need to promote vaccinations to prevent further lockdowns, loss of life and livelihoods. Further consensus was that vaccinations were an effective way to do this and social partners proposed mandatory vaccination in the workplace that would restrict entry to the vaccinated.
Nxesi said that the Nedlac Rapid Response Task Team position was that health and safety directives provided by his department should be strengthened so that vaccination can become mandatory, but only where a risk assessment at a workplace required it. Some firms, such as Standard Bank, have already taken a decision to enforce mandatory vaccinations for their staff.
Nxesi said the government’s social partners supported the work of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) to get a declarator from the Constitutional Court to seek an order for compulsory Covid-19 vaccination in the workplace.
Seftel said the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic would have been even more severe if it had not been for the collective efforts of social partners to assist with relief, vaccinations and collaboration on regulations to safely open up the economy.
“The most important measures that all social partners agree on is that ramping up vaccinations, including through positive and negative incentives, is critical, as well as the ongoing promotions of pharmaceutical interventions,” Seftel said.
The Unemployment Fund distributed over R63 billion in terms of the Covid-19 Ters benefits.
Seftel said social partners had responded speedily to the civil unrest crisis in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The partners met to stabilise the country, secure essential supplies, provide relief and support the reopening of businesses.
Nxesi said Nedlac would be called on to address issues of energy and sustainability. He said the country needed a plan for coal and to negotiate a “just transition” to renewable energy.
Valli Moosa, deputy chairperson of the Presidential Climate Commission said t South Africa had some of the best renewable energy resources in the world.
“The good news is that a future green economy will create more jobs in new low-carbon sectors than are lost in declining fossil fuel sectors,” he said.
Professor Koleka Mlisana, Executive Manager of the National Health Laboratory Services and Chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee lessons had been learned from Covid-19 and previous pandemics.
She said science was addressing the biological drivers of the pandemic but behavioural modification was key to halt its social drivers. This included addressing the impact of alcohol on health systems and family structure; corruption and accountability, related to COVID-19 resources.
Labour convenorBheki Ntshalintshali said it was important for the public to reflect on Nedlac’s performance report and give their feedback.