Tens of Thousands Could Lose Jobs Under Mandatory Vaccination for Carers and NHS Staff, Warns Union

The chief of the UK’s biggest union has warned that tens of thousands of people could lose their jobs under the government’s plans to enforce vaccination on care home staff and potentially for NHS employees.

In July, British MPs voted in support of making vaccination a condition of employment for care staff employed in settings registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with the deadline for full vaccination expected by November 11th, unless they are exempt. While last week, the government formally opened a consultation on extending the requirement to Britain’s largest employer, the National Health Service (NHS) and its 1.3 million frontline staff, as well as other social care workers.

With the deadline for receiving the first dose of the vaccination, Thursday, for care home staff fast approaching, Unison’s General Secretary Christina McAnea warned that the government’s “heavy-handed” and “counter-productive” approach could pose a threat to the health sector and put tens of thousands of staff out of work.

The government admitted in the summer that as many as 40,000 workers could still be unvaccinated by the end of the grace period.

Speaking to the Financial Times on Sunday, Ms McAnea said of the care home staff situation: “We are being told that 10 to 20 per cent of staff are not double vaccinated and employers are really worried about what that will mean in terms of having to sack people.”- READ MORE