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‘No jab, no job’: First Aussie company mandates COVID vaccine

Eliza Bavin
·Personal Finance Editor
·2-min read
SPC peaches product ad and a person preparing a COVID-19 vaccine dose/
SPC has given staff six weeks notice to organise their first vaccine dose or they will not be permitted on the worksite (Source: Instagram @SPCaustralia/Getty)

A fruit and vegetable processor has become the first Aussie company to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for anyone who enters it’s business.

SPC, a fruit and vegetable processor, said it is making staff and visitors to its factory be fully vaccinated in an effort to end lockdowns and protect staff.

SPC has given their staff and contractors six weeks to schedule their first vaccine dose or will be barred from coming to work.

All visitors to the cannery will also have to prove they have been vaccinated.

SPC chair Hussein Rifai said the 100-year-old company made the decision to ensure the well being of workers and the community.

"Lockdowns are not a sustainable solution and the Australian economy needs to open up again," he said in a statement.

"The Delta variant poses a significant threat to our people, our customers and the communities we serve. The only path forward for our country is through vaccination."

All SPC workers will be offered paid time off to get their vaccinations as well as two extra special days of leave if they feel unwell after getting the vaccine.

The company recognises that there might be some workers with a pre-existing condition who are unable to be vaccinated and their circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

SPC CEO Robert Giles said the company was setting an example for others around the country.

"Australian companies must go further by rapidly vaccinating their staff. By taking proactive steps now, we are shoring up our company for the future,” Giles said.

"We firmly believe that it will be manufacturers and innovators like SPC who will help drive Australia's post-COVID economic recovery."

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