A growing number of councils across the state are moving towards a staff COVID vaccine mandate, a union official says.
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United Services Union Mid North Coast organiser Damien Welsh said quite a few councils had adopted a vaccine mandate and there seemed to be a growing trend of councils leaning towards doing so.
Mr Welsh said United Services Union members statewide seemed to be very supportive of being vaccinated and the union supported any protections put forward to keep its members COVID-safe.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has adopted a policy to mandate vaccinations for staff after an intensive consultation process and risk assessment against work health and safety responsibilities.
The council consultation was broad and included state and local government bodies, unions, employees and consultative committees, training institutions and businesses.
Mr Welsh said the council took on board United Services Union comments.
He said the council's policy followed work, health and safety principles.
Mr Welsh said there didn't seem to be major issues from members coming out of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council over the policy and cases of impacted staff would be dealt with on an individual basis.
There is an online petition, initiated by a long-term resident and ratepayer, against the policy.
The petition, through online platform change.org, calls on the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors to halt Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's employee mandatory COVID vaccination policy.
The petition has attracted more than 1100 signatures.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's staff consultation period about the policy spanned over three months and included meetings, and question and answer sessions with representatives from NSW Health about the virus and the vaccines, and a staff feedback survey.
Council's CEO Dr Clare Allen said it was a difficult decision - however the organisation was working compassionately with individuals that would be impacted on a case-by-case basis, to determine the next steps.
"There are obviously many complex issues at play here," she said.
"Our organisation is made up of real people, incredible people, who are passionate about the work they do, and the communities they serve.
"We understand there are valued staff who will be impacted by this. It is not something we have done lightly."
Dr Allen said there were no simple solutions and the council was navigating its way through this based on advice from experts - with staff and community safety at the forefront.
Sydney's Northern Beaches Council and Georges River Council, and Central Coast Council also have mandatory staff vaccination policies in place.
A Tamworth Regional Council spokesperson said among its council's operational policies was a requirement for all staff to be vaccinated.
Central Coast Council implemented mandatory vaccinations against COVID-19 on January 10, 2022.
A Central Coast Council spokesperson said while the majority of its staff had been vaccinated against COVID-19, the council approved a small number of temporary reasonable adjustments in line with the approved policy for staff who were unable to be vaccinated prior to January 10, 2022 due to medical and other reasons.
Five permanent staff and 12 casual employees, at Central Coast Council, who indicated they were going to remain unvaccinated or were unable to have temporary reasonable adjustments approved due to the nature of their role, had their employment terminated in line with the COVIDsafe Workplace Policy.
The Central Coast Council CEO advised all staff in October 2021 of the intent to formulate a policy on vaccination against COVID-19 for all staff by January 9, 2022.
A collaborative process followed to develop the policy.
The Central Coast Council spokesperson said the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace was very real.
"We want all employees to go home safe and healthy at the end of each day," the spokesperson said.
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Lisa Tisdell
I'm a Port Macquarie News journalist, keen traveller, angler and cricket fan.
I'm a Port Macquarie News journalist, keen traveller, angler and cricket fan.
