‘Proof of vaccine allowed’
STATUS: Vax certificate
Government has given employers the green light to require proof of being vaccinated against Covid-19 and produce vaccination certificates from employees, unless a worker produces a medical certificate showing that they have contra-indications to it.
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi on Tuesday published the Code of Good Practice: Managing Exposure to Sars-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in the workplace, reports IOL.
“In giving effect to this code, an employer may require its employees to disclose their vaccination status and to produce a vaccination certificate,” reads the code.
In terms of the code, an employer is allowed to notify an employee of the obligation to be vaccinated and counsel the worker on the issues related to vaccines.
Employers must also permit employees, at their request, to consult a health and safety or worker representative or a trade union official and give administrative support to the employees to register and to access their Covid-19 vaccination certificates.
They can also give employees paid time off to be vaccinated and provide transport for employees to and from the nearest vaccination site.
According to the code, if an employee produces a medical certificate attesting that they have contra-indications for vaccination, the employer may refer the employee for a medical evaluation for confirmation at the employer’s expense.
If the employer accepts the medical certificate or the medical evaluation confirms the contra-indications, the employer must accommodate the employee in a position that does not require the employee to be vaccinated, the code states.
If an employee refuses to be vaccinated, the employer is required to counsel the employee and take steps to reasonably accommodate the employee in a position that does not require the employee to be vaccinated.