Hospitality NT boss Alex Bruce reveals industry loses less than 5 per cent of staff to government’s vaccine mandate

The Territory’s peak hospitality body has revealed most businesses had lost fewer than 5 per cent of employees due to the government’s vaccine mandate.

WHEN most of the Territory’s unvaccinated workers woke up on Saturday, they were waking to the day they could no longer legally go back to their work.

It is no secret many Territory businesses have already been suffering through a staff shortage crisis.

Now, with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate in place, some NT businesses will face the prospect of having even fewer workers to man their work places.

However, that said, Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce says the overwhelming majority of Territory businesses had lost fewer than 5 per cent of employees due to the mandate.

“Employees in the hospitality sector being taken off the roster across the Territory range from 0 to 7.5 per cent,” Mr Bruce said.

The NT News can also ­reveal that two days after the government’s first jab workplace deadline passed on Friday, 97 per cent of the NT’s 22,000 public servants had had their first jab

Mr Bruce said many workers who had said they would not have the vaccination had changed their minds once the mandate was announced.

“When the real risk of losing their livelihood became a reality they reluctantly went and got vaccinated,” he said.

“Once rates do get to the levels the government is after, the sooner these mandates can be removed from employment policy, the better.”

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce. Picture: Che Chorley

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he felt for the businesses impacted by the small minority of people who chose not to be vaccinated.

“That’s a decision that has hurt the person paying their wage and left themselves and the people they love at greater risk,” Mr Gunner said.

“The Territory first dose vaccination rate is 94 per cent first dose and climbing – very few Territorians are unvaccinated and had their jobs ­impacted by the mandate.”

The Chief Minister said the Territory was one of the most resilient economies in the world through the pandemic.

“By staying safe and being vaccinated, we will keep our businesses open and save Territory jobs,” he said.

Mr Bruce said there had been some hurdles for inter­national students and visa holders in gaining the appropriate documentation.

“They don’t have a Medicare account but businesses are working through that if they haven’t already,” he said.

“Managers and business ­operators are jumping back into the kitchens in some instances but businesses are not closing, they’re just working their way through it.”

Mr Bruce argues the NT, alongside WA, has been the slowest to give border clarity.

“Territorians have done the right thing, so where is the ­reward and quarantine free travel? Give us a date and stick to it,” he said.

“The vast majority are just rolling their sleeves and getting on with this to put Covid-19 behind us and get those borders normalised.”

Mr Gunner thanked everyone who had been vaccinated and every business who has “done the right thing”.

“You’re not just keeping us safe, you’re keeping our economy strong,” he said.