BL Premium reports that Standard Bank has withdrawn its Covid-19 mandatory vaccination policy just days after finance union Sasbo vowed to challenge the lender’s dismissal of at least 40 of its members for not complying with the policy.

The bank said in a statement on Monday that it had withdrawn the policy “with immediate effect” as 95% of its employees were already vaccinated against Covid-19. CEO Lungisa Fuzile stated: “Based on the current context of the pandemic, we believe that our vaccination policy is no longer required. Consequentially, it is no longer compulsory for employees to be vaccinated, or to produce a negative PCR or rapid antigen test if they are unvaccinated, in order to enter our premises.” Sasbo, a union representing about 73,000 members in the finance sector, on Friday demanded that Standard Bank repeal its vaccine mandate, which the union said required all staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by 4 April or face dismissal. In its statement, the bank said it would be “revising some of its safety measures and the existing Covid-19 policy and protocols”. Nevertheless, Standard Bank said that while it had opted to withdraw its mandatory vaccination policy it still continued to support and encourage vaccination against Covid-19.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Garth Theunissen at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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