Countdown 'actively considering' vaccination for staff

Thursday, 21 October 2021

Countdown says it is “actively considering” whether it will require staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Its parent company, Woolworths Group, has outlined plans for a vaccine mandate for the Australian business, alongside Coles and Aldi.

The Woolworths rule would take effect early next year, unless public health orders came into effect sooner.

Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci said: “We have a clear obligation to provide our team members with the safest possible work environment as we supply the food and essential needs our communities rely on.

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“After careful review of the best medical advice, we’ve made the decision to require all of our team members in Australia to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.”

Countdown spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said the Australian rule would not apply to the New Zealand team.

“While this doesn’t apply to our team here, we are actively considering whether requiring vaccination is necessary to ensure our team can continue to work safely with the Delta variant in the community. We will of course consult with our team before any decisions are made.”

The Warehouse Group said on Thursday that it was proposing compulsory vaccination for its 12,000 staff.

It follows earlier moves by PwC, Russell McVeagh and MediaWorks.