Air Canada latest carrier to make vaccination mandatory for employees
Air Canada has this morning announced that all employees and new hires will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the latest carrier to announce such a step.
From 30 October employees will have to report their vaccination status, while being fully inoculated will become a condition of employment on the same date.
Failure to get vaccinated “will have consequences up to and including unpaid leave or termination, except for those who qualify for accommodation”, the airline said.
The new policy aligns with a recent announcement by the Government of Canada requiring employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated by the end of October.
“The decision to require all employees of Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Vacations to be fully vaccinated and report their vaccination status is another initiative to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees and customers”, the carrier said.
Yesterday US carrier Delta Airlines said that all unvaccinated employees would have to pay an extra $200 a month towards insurance.
“The average hospital stay for Covid-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person. This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company,” chief executive Ed Bastian wrote in a memo to employees.
And at the beginning of this month United Airlines became the first carrier to make vaccination mandatory for employees.
All 67,000 of its staff will have to be fully vaccinated by 25 October or risk being fired.
“We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees,” United chief executive Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in an employee note.
“But, we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you’re at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.”