Vaccination obligations, it works. The United Airlines company, which asked all its employees in the United States in early August to be vaccinated against Covid-19, announced on Tuesday that it was preparing to lay off 593 people who did not provide proof of their injection . This is less than 1% of the workforce concerned.
Of the company’s roughly 67,000 employees, less than 3%, or around 2,000, have requested medical or religious exemptions, which are under review. The 593 employees can still save their jobs if they provide proof of their vaccination or receive an injection before the deadline.
“Ensuring the safety of our employees”
“We have demanded vaccinations for all United employees based in the United States for one simple reason: to ensure the safety of our employees,” company boss Scott Kirby and public affairs official said in a message. , Brett Hart “And the truth is, everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated, and demanding the vaccine works,” they added.
For the 593 employees who have not provided proof of vaccination, the company will initiate a dismissal process in accordance with a procedure negotiated with the unions. “It was an incredibly difficult decision, but keeping our team safe has always been our top priority,” the officials said in the post.
Scott Kirby had indicated in January that he was considering imposing the vaccine injection on all employees based in the United States. Employers have the right to require their employees traveling to their workplace to be vaccinated, with exceptions for medical reasons, according to the US Federal Agency for Enforcement of Laws Against Discrimination in the Workplace (EEOC) or religious objection.
United Airlines had initially planned to place on October 2 on unpaid leave the employees to whom an exemption was granted. But a legal procedure launched by employees to whom the exemption has been refused being in progress, these people remain for the moment within the company until October 15 while awaiting a decision.