Covid: Anglo American to introduce mandatory vaccinations

Mining giant Anglo American intends to introduce mandatory Covid vaccinations across the company and may sack workers who refuse.

The firm, which employs 95,000 people worldwide, says it is consulting with its staff about the policy.

The Daily Telegraph, citing an internal Anglo American document, reported that workers who refuse to be vaccinated could be fired "as a last resort".

This would happen if an alternative, remote working role could not be found.

A spokesman for Anglo American told the BBC: "Anglo American is intending to introduce a policy that requires Covid-19 vaccination for access to all its sites and offices, with the continued objective of protecting our employees, their families, and communities as much as we can."

It said that over the past 18 months, it had encouraged workers to be vaccinated and had set up vaccination facilities at some sites. This includes in southern Africa where Anglo American has a large presence and where the new Covid variant, Omicrom, was first detected last week.

"Requiring vaccination for access is the next step, given that vaccination is the best defence available," the company said.

'Legal requirements'

However, it admitted that implementing a mandatory Covid vaccination policy may vary in different countries.

"We expect there may be differences in exactly how and when the policy will be implemented across the group due to local contexts and legal requirements," said a spokesman.

Anglo American employs about 1,300 workers at the Woodsmith mine project in North Yorkshire, which it acquired when it bought Sirius Minerals last year.

It also has its headquarters in London.

Beth Hale, partner and general counsel at CM Murray, which specialises in employment law, said making vaccines mandatory is "difficult to do lawfully in the UK" for a business.

She questioned whether it would be "a proportionate way or ensuring health and safety in the workplace" when there are other measures that businesses can take, such as asking workers to take a lateral flow test or requiring social distancing in the office.

Ms Hale also said it would be difficult to fire someone for not being vaccinated against Covid.

As well as raising the issue of discrimination, she said: "There are issues around indirect discrimination against groups who are less likely to be vaccinated."

In November, Health Secretary Sajid Javid ruled out mandatory Covid vaccinations for everyone in the UK, saying it was something the government "won't ever look at". However, he said that it would be compulsory for frontline NHS staff in England to be fully vaccinated against Covid. Care home staff in England are required to be fully vaccinated

Northern Ireland is consulting on a similar move for frontline NHS staff. Scotland and Wales have not made any proposals to make Covid jabs compulsory for NHS workers or care home staff.

However, other countries such as Austria want to enforce vaccinations from February next year while Germany announced on Thursday its Parliament would vote on whether to make vaccination mandatory.

This week European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said European Union countries should consider mandatory vaccination to combat Covid and the Omicron variant.

Ursula von der Leyen said it was "appropriate" for EU countries to consider mandatory Covid vaccination

She said: "How we can encourage and potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union? This needs discussion. This needs a common approach, but it is a discussion that I think has to be led."

The Daily Telegraph reports that Anglo American workers could be exempted from the vaccination policy on medical grounds.

The internal Anglo American document quoted by the newspaper also states that staff would be "given a reasonable amount of time to get vaccinated prior to any consequences being imposed".