Council staffers offered extra leave to get the Covid-19 vaccination

Brisbane City Council’s 8000-strong workforce has been offered an incentive to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is vaccinated ahead of his Tokyo trip. Photo: Supplied

Brisbane City Council has incentivised its employees to get vaccinated against Covid-19 by offering an extra leave day or pay.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said getting vaccinated was a key step in adapting to the pandemic as he announced on Thursday that council workers would be compensated for doing so.

The incentive will apply to the more than 8000-strong workforce from office staff to bus drivers and field workers.

“The way it will work is that everyone, depending on their employment type, will either get one additional day credited to their personal leave balance, or access to up to one day of paid time,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Having this extra time off added to your leave balance means it’s as simple as booking your free vaccine, letting your manager know you’re taking time out of your day to get vaccinated and going and getting that all-important jab.

“I know some staff have already gotten vaccinated, and I thank you for making that decision. You will also be rewarded and will also receive that time off credited back to you.”

Cr Schrinner he would make sure council staff were given time off work to prioritise getting both of their vaccinations.

“It’s very concerning that Queensland has a higher rate of vaccine hesitancy than many other parts of Australia,” he said.

“We really need to address it and use multiple measures to ramp up the vaccination rate, which is exactly why I’ve made the decision to take the stress out of finding vaccination appointments outside of work hours.”

Cr Schrinner encouraged other workplaces to follow his lead and provide flexibility so employees could get vaccinated.

“Getting vaccinated should be easy and workplaces should be supporting employees who are rolling up their sleeves and boosting our vaccination rate,” he said.