SPC releases mandatory Covid-19 jab playbook to corporate Australia

Hussein Rifai has a simple message to companies mulling compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations: ‘Stick to your guns.’

SPC chairman Hussein Rifai says businesses need to have courage of their convictions on mandatory Covid-19 jabs. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

SPC chairman Hussein Rifai is making the fruit and vegetable cannery’s playbook on mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations available to all Australian companies.

The Shepparton-based company was the first outside healthcare to mandate Covid-19 jabs for not just employees but any contractor or visitor to its cannery.

It stared down a union campaign as well as calls to boycott its cans of diced tomatoes, pears and peaches on social media, which Mr Rifai said would be enough to scare off any company about introducing compulsory vaccination. Not to mention the hundreds of protestors that swarmed Melbourne’s streets and the Shrine of Remembrance last week, rallying against mandatory jabs.

But Mr Rifai’s message to other Australian companies is simple: “stick to your guns”.

“Make a decision and hold firm on it, and make sure that you don’t let a very loud minority divert you away from your path, because that‘s the thing that people and businesses fear the most - the screams of the loud minority,” he said.

Since SPC introduced its policy last month, 99 per cent of its staff have either become fully vaccinated against Covid-10 or booked their first dose - showing their support for the company’s efforts to protect its workforce.

But Mr Rifai admits things could have been done differently.

“Our employees were pretty happy and supportive all the way through. Some might have an opinion that we should have done it softly or convinced people.

“But we can‘t convince every truck driver that comes on site and we can’t convince every contractor that comes on site. So the mandate was really not just covering our employees but also covering our employees’ exposure to the other people who don’t work for us.

“The whole issue around union consultation, the whole issue of our employees, I think was a big furphy. I think everybody was on board.”

Mr Rifai said planning was key when introducing such a strong policy, and SPC’s playbook or ‘response plan’ includes issues such as how employees can book vaccination appointments as well as detailed questions and answers to guide discussions with union and other stakeholders.

Since SPC has implemented mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations, Qantas, Telstra and Healthscope have followed with similar policies. But many companies are still hesitant about introducing compulsory jabs in the absence of a clear government directive.

But now SPC is giving Australian companies access to its Vaccine Response Plan to provide them with the resources to guide them in their own COVID vaccination mandate plans.

A KPMG survey revealed that 56 per cent of mid-sized businesses supported mandatory ­vaccinations. But more than two-thirds of those that were against compulsory immunisation “strongly disagreed” with such policies.

“Businesses, especially in the mid-market and probably also the larger end of town … have very much become accustomed to following public health orders and government guidelines. So, if there were a guideline like that, they would probably also be more willing to mandate it for their own workforce,” KPMG Australia partner Kristina Kipper said.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has so far ruled out making Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory, instead allowing businesses to create their own policies, and this is where Mr Rifai believes he can help.

“We are delighted to share this Response Plan with our friends and colleagues in the Australian business world. SPC is proud of the leadership position it has taken on its mandatory vaccination policy,” he said.

“We understand that vaccination is our pathway toward an open country, economic and social freedoms and, critically, safety for our workers. We look forward to continuing to speak with the government, other businesses and stakeholders.”

Originally published as SPC releases mandatory Covid-19 jab playbook to corporate Australia