Mandatory Vaccinations: Implementing Vaccine Policies.

Guests: Gavin Goffe, Partner at Myers, Fletcher & Gordon with responsibility for Employment, Litigation, Tax and Deformation. Helene Davis-Whyte, President of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions Welcome to Your Business Matters, a podcast of EXIM Bank Jamaica where we bring thought leaders together on thought provoking ideas and methods to help grow your business. In 2020, the prevalence of the outbreak of the Coronavirus over almost every region of the world, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the disease a global pandemic. Every country, regardless of size or economic and military might, has been impacted by COVID 19. The death of millions, the disruption of families due to illness and the loss of livelihoods, broken health and social security systems have all served to undermine economies and derail development across the globe. Vaccine hesitancy poses a dilemma for employers who need a healthy workforce and to reduce absences due to illness to improve productivity, employee morale and the bottomline. Can employers make COVID 19 vaccination mandatory for their employees? This week, we are joined by Gavin Goffe,  Partner at Myer, Fletcher & Gordon with responsibility for Employment, Litigation, Tax and Deformation and Helene Davis White President of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions to dissect the topic ‘Mandatory Vaccination: Implementing Vaccine Policies’. Some of what we discussed include: With COVID-19 reality, why is there such great hesitancy for the Jamaican population to take the vaccine? What would be the legal and human rights implications of mandatory vaccination? How to deal with vaccine hesitancy requiring exemptions on religious and medical grounds. Are employers responsible for educating workers about COVID-19 and official vaccination programmes? Are persons at risk of losing your jobs should they opt not to take the vaccine? Connect with our guests: Gavin Goffe via myersfletcher.com  on all social media platforms and follow up with Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions at [email protected] for further information on business loans and grant access available to you. Thank you for joining us on Your Business Matters hosted by Heneka Watkis-Porter of the Entrepreneurial You podcast. Remember to join us next week for another exciting episode with our thought-provoking leaders as they debate thought provoking ideas and methods to help grow your business and move closer towards your goals. To stay in touch, you can  connect with us on your favorite podcast platforms at ‘Your Business Matters’ where we bring the matters to the table or visit eximbankja.com for further information and business resources. As you continue to mind your business, I leave with you this quote from Richard Branson “Business opportunities are like buses, there is always another one coming.” Take care.