Telstra Wants to Jab, then They Can Gab! By James Reed

Here is another iconic Australian firm wanting its employees to be jabbed with the Covid vax: Telstra.  But, the unions are fighting back, which is good. Telstra is the fourth Australian company to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations. Others are SPC – the first business to force employees to get the jab – Qantas and Australia’s second-biggest private hospital operator, Healthscope. The pattern is being set here, vaccinate or take “medical retirement,” a fancy term for being made redundant.

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“A showdown is looming between telco giant Telstra and unions over a proposed vaccine mandate that would force 8300 Telstra workers to be fully vaccinated, and potential ‘‘medical retirement’’ for anyone who declines the jab.

Telstra said that it would require about a third of its workforce to be vaccinated, and had commenced a one-week consultation period with staff, unions and partners ahead of what will be one of corporate Australia’s largest mandatory vaccination drives.

The telco is facing potential legal challenges, however, after chief executive Andy Penn said in a letter to employees that those who refuse the vaccine may be forced into ‘‘medical retirement’’.

“This policy would make getting vaccinated a requirement for roles where they are in regular contact with customers, the public or other employees, such as our frontline and business-critical teams, and those who need to visit customer premises at times,” Mr Penn said on Monday.

He said the vaccine requirement would apply to about 8300 workers but not those who could work from home or were outside Australia.

Telstra is now the fourth company to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations, joining SPC – the first business to force employees to get the jab – Qantas and Australia’s second-biggest private hospital operator, Healthscope.

But other companies have been contemplating compulsory jabs and, while they have resisted so far, concede they may be used as a last resort to ensure 80 per cent of Australia’s population is fully vaccinated – the threshold needed to end lockdowns and start living with the virus.

“As the Covid situation evolves, we need to be thinking about whether further measures are warranted to keep our colleagues and customers safe,” NAB chief executive Ross Mc­Ewan said last week.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg late on Monday took aim at Australians who refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine, claiming they were “slowing down the opportunity for the economy to reopen”.

“The reality is that we can’t live in lockdown forever,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“We have to live with Covid and that means getting vaccinated as quickly as possible.

“If you don’t take steps to protect yourself and your family you are obviously slowing down the opportunity for the economy to reopen.”

Telstra is working through the list of affected roles.

At this stage it will include workers interacting regularly with customers and the public, or vulnerable people and communities.

“We would require people in these roles to get their first vaccination by 15 October and the second by 15 November. That said, we would be flexible if there are vaccine supply issues,” Mr Penn said.

“I understand some people may choose not to get vaccinated – whether that is for personal or medical reasons. But given what’s at stake, when it comes to protecting people’s health we would only consider exceptions on established medical grounds.

“In these cases we would ask for appropriate supporting medical evidence to be assessed by an independent medical practitioner, and we would do our best to find a suitable alternative role that does not require vaccination. If we are unable to find another role it may ultimately lead to medical retirement.”

The Communications Union said it was seeking legal advice about the proposals, in what could prove a significant test case for vaccine mandates for Australian businesses.

“We know from the health advice that getting vaccinated will significantly reduce the threats posed by the virus to our ­members, their families, and the vulnerable groups they are in contact with. That’s why the union has been pushing for measures such as priority access, paid leave and incentives for workers to get the jab,” a CEPU spokeswoman said.

“However, unlike the Telstra CEO, our members have been on the front line of the nation’s pandemic response – putting their own safety, and that of their families, at risk for over a year in order to keep our communities connected. If he thinks he can sack those same essential workers who may have a genuine medical exemption to vaccination, he is mistaken.

“The law doesn’t provide for this, public health measures do not provide for this and we will be challenging this quite strongly.”

Mr Penn said Telstra’s mandate was about “being on the right side of history”.

“Often that involves finding our courage and taking a stand that may not always be popular with everyone. Incentives help, but we need to go a step further to protect each other, the most vulnerable in our communities and the customers we interact with each day.”