Can my boss force me to take the Covid-19 vaccine?
As SA gears up to vaccinate more citizens against Covid-19, there are growing concerns about whether employers can force their employees to take the vaccine. Businesses are gearing up to administer vaccines to their employees after the labour department reached an agreement at Nedlac to use workplaces in the phased vaccine rollout, says employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi. The amended Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in the Workplace Direction states that while employees can refuse on constitutional grounds to get the vaccine. Employers can make vaccination mandatory on grounds that they want to offer a safe working environment, but need to follow these steps. Employers can identify employees at risk of transmission or exposure to Covid-19 based on their age and underlying conditions. Employees can decline to get vaccinated on grounds of bodily integrity in terms of section 12(2) and the right to freedom of religion, belief and opinion cited in section 13 of the constitution. Medical reasons refer to an immediate allergic reaction to a dose of the vaccine.