Curro threatens sanctions against unvaccinated staff
Private education group Curro says it has resolved to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for its staff.
This comes amid continued debate about the sanctions an employer can institute against vaccine-hesitant workers.
The legal framework remains sketchy, leaving it in the hands of the employers to write its own rules.
Curro CEO, Andries Greyling says the decision to force its staff to get the jab is purely informed by the bid to limit the impact of Covid to its learning community.
“Tracking stats and talking to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the first two waves didn’t affect children at all but now the ages 15 and older are getting infected. Now I think it’s the right of us, as the employers, to safeguard parents and the children that we are teaching and that we are in contact with on a daily basis,” says Greyling.
“We decided as a board of directors, after receiving legal advice, that we will need to enforce this within our schools.”
According to Greyling, a consultative process has already begun and is expected to stretch over the next several months.
“Within that the legal advice that we received is that we must follow a consultative process, which can take you 6 months and up to 18 months depends on how quickly you can rectify that and within that consultative process you sit down with your staff, you give them the facts, show them the influence of vaccination, why they should, why not and you go through a whole consultative process.”
Under the directive, Curro will be at liberty to institute penalties for those refusing to get vaccinated.
This may include retrenchments.
“We think it’s the right thing to do within South Africa and the right thing to do for our staff, our children, and our parents and comities to protect them and to get back to some form of normality.”
Listen to Greyling below:
ALSO READ:
