No COVID jab, no entry for BHP sites

Major Bowen Basin coal player BHP is making COVID-19 vaccination compulsory as a condition of entry across its Australian sites and offices. All workers and visitors seeking access to BHP workplaces in Australia will be required to be fully vaccinated, effective no later than January 31, 2022. BHP workplaces in NSW will introduce the controls sooner considering local risk factors, and the company said it would also comply with recently announced public health orders in WA and Victoria relevant to the resources sector. Related: Vaccination mandatory for WA resource workers BHP Minerals Australia president Edgar Basto said the science was clear that widespread vaccination saved lives. “We have undertaken a thorough assessment and believe that this is the right path forward to protect the health of our people, their families and the communities where we operate – including remote Indigenous communities – while continuing to safely run our operations," he said. "We know this raise will questions for some, and we will work closely with our workforce as we go through the process of implementing these controls at our workplaces.” Vaccinations should be voluntary for mineworkers says union The announcement immediately sparked concerns from Mining and Energy Union Queensland district president Stephen Smyth, who said the union did not support the decision to impose mandatory vaccination on all workers. "We have strongly advocated to government and industry that COVID-19 vaccinations should be voluntary for mineworkers, with the high rates we need to protect safety better achieved through education, access and incentives," Mr Smyth said. "BHP must engage in genuine consultation with the workforce. Some of our immediate concerns include fair treatment of casuals and contractors on BHP sites – keeping in mind that a minority of workers on BHP’s Queensland mine sites are direct employees; support for workers with a genuine medical exemption and paid time for workers to get vaccinated or in case of experiencing vaccine-related side-effects. "Our priority is protecting our members’ jobs, rights and working conditions as we work through the workforce and legal implications of BHP’s announcement." BHP said it was continuing to support regional vaccination programs in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. This includes funding a vaccination hub in Central Queensland that has already delivered more than 2000 jabs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vACdjWrVUnPs&t1s

No COVID jab, no entry for BHP sites

Industry Queensland

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