Commbank, Westpac and BOQ announce mandatory Covid-19 vaccines for workers

Three banks have announced on the same day a new vaccine mandate with various deadlines looming.

Three of Australia’s big banks are mandating the Covid-19 vaccine for staff members even in states with zero virus cases.

On Thursday, the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and the Bank of Queensland (BOQ) announced new vaccine rules for employees at a national level.

The move is expected to affect 87,000 workers across the three financial institutions.

All three companies have different deadlines falling into line with various state requirements, particularly in Victoria, which has mandated the vaccine for a number of industries including banking.

Two other prominent banks in Australia, ANZ and NAB, have so far shown no sign of mandating the vaccine beyond what is expected of them at a state level.

Earlier this week, the Victorian Government announced that to attend most workplaces after the state reopens, employees must have their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by October 15 and their second dose by November 26.

Three big banks including the Commonwealth have mandated the jab for their workers. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

The banks have set deadlines for staff around the country.

Commbank, which employs 48,900 people nationally, will have its Victorian staff fully vaccinated by November 26.

Workers at the Commonwealth Bank from NSW and ACT have until December 1 and Northern Territory workers must be double jabbed by December 24.

Staff from all other states must have had two doses by February next year.

There are different vaccine deadline for different states. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

Over at Westpac, workers from the three states coming out of lockdown – NSW, Victoria and the ACT – must be fully vaccinated by December 1.

All employees in other states will be required to be fully vaccinated to attend their workplace by February 1, 2022.

Westpac reportedly has 36,000 employees across Australia.

The company put out an internal survey to 10,000 employees which showed that 91 per cent of then were or planned to get vaccinated.

Just 4 per cent said they were “undecided” about the jab.

Westpac CEO Peter King said: “Since the NSW outbreak started in June, more than 3800 of our employees have been required to isolate and more than 280 branches have closed and reopened, both significantly disrupting operations.

“It is clear that the best way to keep our people safe and stay open for our customers is for people to be vaccinated.”

Westpac workers have been told they must get the jab. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

Bank of Queensland, which reportedly has around 2000 employees, also made an announcement.

“We will be taking a national and phased approach to ensuring our employees and the people we work with are vaccinated,” a spokesperson said.

The rules don’t just apply to their workers but also as a condition of entry into any branch to any contractors, vendors or suppliers.

“We will be consulting with our people to ensure they have adequate and reasonable time to prepare for any new requirements,” the spokesperson added.

This follows a survey sent to employees which revealed that more than 90 per cent are already vaccinated, or have plans to do so, and the majority would prefer a requirement that all employees be vaccinated.

NAB is not mandating the vaccine beyond what is already expected. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

Neither is ANZ. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

Fruit and vegetable canned food company SPC was the first Australian company to mandate the vaccine for its staff on August 5.

On June 28, the Government also agreed to make the Covid-19 vaccination for all residential aged care workers compulsory. Health care workers must also be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Other companies have even gone a step further.

Last week, a letter leaked on Facebook revealed that retail giant Best & Less will exclude unvaccinated customers from its NSW stores.

Sydney’s Aria restaurant, owned by TV chef Matt Moran and Bruce Solomon, said it would only be taking bookings onwards from people who were fully vaccinated.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce has also confirmed the Australian airline will mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for all passengers flying overseas, as the country gears up to reopen some international routes by Christmas.

Australian gambling giant, Crow Resorts, has mandated its Covid-19 vaccination not just for its 20,000 staff members but also potentially for its millions of customers.