Research by the Employers Association AWVN shows that the majority of employers want to know if their employees have been vaccinated against Covid-19. About 70 percent of the 600 respondents fear workplace safety as more and more employees return to work on site.
In the Netherlands, employers cannot ask their employees about their vaccination status based on current legislation. Recording employees’ medical data is a violation of the Privacy Act (GDPR) and the right to material sanctification. “These are basic rights that can feel very heavy,” labor law professor Evert Verholb told de Volkskrant.
Employers who oppose requiring their employees to prove vaccination have cited privacy concerns as their main reason.
On the other hand, in some cases, customers may be required to show proof of vaccination, for example via the CoronaCheck app.
The employer asked, “How can we protect our customers if they are not allowed to know anything about our employees?”
An AWVN survey found that about 93 percent of employers said they would take certain actions if unvaccinated workers showed up in the workplace.
For now, workers still have to be tested before meetings. “I hope those who choose not to vaccinate will bear the consequences. Now it is the employees,” Compound’s commercial director told de Volkskrant.
Some US companies, such as Google, Facebook and Netflix, already made the Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for their employees a few weeks ago. “In the Netherlands, the position of employee is very well established,” says professor at the Labor Organization Agnes Ackermann. “This is different in the United States.”
In certain jobs, such as when people work closely together, employers should be able to claim a certificate of vaccination, according to the AWVN. Some members of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) urged Cabinet on Wednesday to allow the registration of the Covid-19 vaccine in the healthcare sector.
AWVN called on the Cabinet to clarify the matter as soon as possible.
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