Woolworths staff no longer need to be double-vaxxed for Covid-19

Australia’s biggest retailer is dumping some Covid-19 rules covering its checkouts and staff vaccinations ahead of the busy Christmas season.

Australia’s biggest retailer Woolworths will end its demand that all its workers must be fully vaccinated to remain employed at the business, as it becomes one of the first major employers to scrub strict Covid-19 safe rules that were first enforced when the pandemic hit more than two years ago.

Woolworths, which also owns Big W, will also start to rip out the perspex dividers it erected at self-service check-outs to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 to customers and staff – although the perspex will remain at check-outs that are staffed – while it will end temperature checks at its distribution centres and warehouses.

And the signs plastered all over Woolworths stores reminding customers about social distancing will also start to be removed.

For those Woolworths staff sacked because they refused to be vaccinated, it means they could reapply to work at the business.

A letter sent to Woolworths suppliers, and obtained by The Australian, reveals the nation’s biggest retailer with more than 180,000 staff has recently conducted a review of its Covid-safe measures introduced when the pandemic began and, following feedback from its workers, would change its settings.

The biggest change is the decision effective Monday that Covid-19 vaccinations would now only be “strongly encouraged” rather than “required”, opening the door for people who have refused to be vaccinated to get a job at Woolworths or seek to be re-employed after being forced to leave earlier.

“This means that there will no longer be a requirement to have the first two Covid-19 vaccinations to be employed with Woolworths Group or to attend our sites and stores as a contractor or supplier partners,” the suppliers letter said.

“However, up-to-date Covid vaccination remains strongly encouraged for all team members and our trade partners.”

Woolworths will start to scrub some of its Covid-19 rules, including mandatory vaccines for workers and temperature checks at warehouse and distribution centres. Picture: Morgan Sette

In late 2021, both Woolworths and Coles introduced mandatory vaccination requirements for all their workers, with the hopes of having the workforce vaccinated by the new year, and warning that workers who refused to be vaccinated would be asked to leave the businesses.

At the time Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci said with around 180,000 team members across its stores, distribution centres and support offices, and each store welcoming an average 20,000 customers a week, a single team member could come into contact with quite literally thousands of people in the course of a normal working week.

Other companies and organisations from healthcare, to education and construction also followed suit by demanding their workers get the first two Covid-19 vaccines or be sacked. The imposition of mandatory vaccinations on the construction sector led to mass protests, especially in Melbourne where thousands of construction workers and tradies marched through the streets.

Now those Covid-19 rules are starting to be unwound.

“As it is practical to do so over the coming weeks/months, some COVIDSafe measures in our stores and sites will be removed, in line with our current Covid risk assessment. These measures are: customer perspex screens in self-serve checkout only; temperature checking equipment; signs/floor decals about physical distancing,” the Woolworths letter to suppliers said.

However, Woolworths will continue to strongly encourage all staff as well as contractors and supplier partners to follow the latest medical advice and be up-to-date with their Covid-19 vaccinations.

Woolworths chief medical officer Rob McCartney said high vaccination rates across the community had played a crucial role in Australia’s fight against Covid, reducing the severity of infections and delivering a return to greater freedoms with the continued easing of restrictions.

“We’d like to thank our team members for doing their bit to help protect the health of each other and our customers over the course of the pandemic,” Dr McCartney said.

“Our team vaccination requirement was designed to respond to the health risks during an acute period of the pandemic, however we have recently reviewed whether it is still necessary in light of high community-wide vaccination and the evolution in how we now live with Covid.

“Based on the latest medical information and consultation with our team members, we have made the decision to update our position to ‘strongly encourage’ vaccination for our team members, rather than require it.”

Originally published as Woolworths staff no longer need to be double-vaxxed for Covid-19