Airlines call for mandatory vax for aviation workers
Aussies are backing calls for the federal government to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for aviation workers. Have your say.
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Pressure is growing for the federal government to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for all aviation workers, with Qantas saying it was the only way to avoid a “patchwork of rules” between each state and territory.
The call has been backed by a big majority of readers, with nearly four in five (79 per cent) respondents to our online poll (below) saying all workers should have the jab. More than 700 people had voted as at 9am AEST on Thursday.
The national carrier called on the government to make the jabs mandatory for all workers in the sector on Wednesday, saying: “Aviation revolves around safety. If there is something we, as an industry, can reasonably do to lower risk, we do it.”
The call was quickly backed by Virgin Australia. A spokesperson said the company was “supportive of a nationally consistent and government-led vaccine mandate for all airline employees connected with operational work”.
In a statement posted on its website, Qantas said the NSW, SA and New Zealand governments had already made vaccinations mandatory for workers on international services and other states were looking at taking similar steps, both for international and domestic services.
“We welcome this, but without a national approach we’ll wind up with a patchwork of rules between the borders that our people cross multiple times a day,” the Qantas statement read.
A recent survey of aviation workers carried out by the Transport Workers’ Union found just one third were fully vaccinated, and 46 per cent were unvaccinated. The rates were a little lower in Queensland and a little higher in Victoria, the TWU found.
According to a Virgin Australia employee survey, 65 per cent of flying crew and customer-facing airport workers had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine or were registered to do so.
National Cabinet mandated Covid-19 vaccinations for all residential aged care workers in late June (coming into effect in mid-September) but it is understood a similar mandate for aviation workers may rest on them being determined essential workers by the chief health officers in each state and territory.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has long championed the role vaccines will play in the industry as it recovers from Covid-19, declaring vaccination would become a prerequisite for passengers, particularly on international flights.
In its company statement, Qantas said staff had been offered paid time off to get the jab and the company had lobbied the government for priority access to vaccine doses for aviation workers.
Australian Airports Association chief executive James Goodwin said the main issue “is not about making the vaccine mandatory, it is about making it available.”
“Domestic airport workers must be prioritised in the vaccine rollout due to their high exposure to travellers and increased chances of coming into contact with the virus,” he said.
“Most airport workers understand that the vaccine is an important safety net against the virus and will do what is needed to protect themselves and others.”
Originally published as Airlines call for mandatory vax for aviation workers
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