Countdown requires all 21,000 staff to be vaccinated by January 10
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Countdown will require all 21,000 of its staff to be vaccinated by January 10.
On Tuesday, the supermarket said that, after a two-week consultation and feedback review period, it had decided to require vaccination for all roles across the business.
Kiri Hannifin, Countdown’s general manager, corporate affairs, safety and sustainability, said the policy applied to its distribution centres, stores and support offices.
“While we don’t have the exact number as we’ve not collected this data yet, we know anecdotally that the vast majority of our team are vaccinated already,' she said.
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“[It] is an additional health and safety measure to help keep all of our team safe, particularly as the Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to spread throughout Aotearoa.
“As we have done throughout the consultation, we remain committed to supporting and working with concerned team members by providing help, guidance and advice where needed.”
Hannifin said Countdown has worked to make getting their vaccination as easy and accessible as possible, and has included paying staff for up to two hours to be vaccinated during the work day if they could not do it outside work hours.
Countdown will also be turning its Auckland support office into a temporary vaccination clinic on weekends for staff, hosting a number of on-site vaccination events, and working with local DHBs to support these efforts.
Foodstuffs, the co-operative that operates New World and Pak ‘n Save, is considering a mandate for its staff.
“We’re now considering the part vaccines play in our co-ops, and we’re consulting on the roles that may need to be performed by people who are vaccinated against Covid-19,” Emma Wooster, corporate affairs manager for Foodstuffs New Zealand, said.
“Customers aren’t required to be vaccinated to shop with us in store. No decision will be made until the consultation period is complete, and we’ve had a chance to consider all the feedback.”
It comes after Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood detailed the new requirements for workers to be vaccinated at businesses where customers need to show a vaccine pass under the new traffic light system.
Staff who wanted to continue working in workplaces deemed higher risk by the Government, would need to have had their first vaccination when the traffic light system comes into effect on December 3.
Workers would need to be fully vaccinated by January 17 to continue working.
It applies to those working in hospitality, events, gatherings, close contact businesses and gyms.