Jetstar Asia requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Oct 1

• Jetstar Asia is the first Singapore carrier to require all its employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Oct 1
• For now, almost all of its more than 500 employees are already inoculated
• The policy applies to the airline’s office-based employees as well

SINGAPORE — Budget carrier Jetstar Asia announced on Wednesday (Aug 18) that it will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Oct 1, making it the first airline in Singapore with such a requirement for its staff members. 

Jetstar Asia, which is 49 per cent owned by the Qantas Group, said In its statement that the decision comes as part of the carrier’s “commitment to safety”, adding that almost all of its more than 500 employees are already vaccinated.

It said: “The majority support the idea of the Covid vaccine being a requirement for work as it offers strong protection against the virus and also protects their families and their local community.”

Jetstar Asia’s chief executive officer Bara Pasupathi said the statement: "Having a fully vaccinated workforce at Jetstar will provide one of the strongest layers of protection against the serious health impacts of this virus, while also helping Singapore open up to international travel again.

“Given the potential for the virus to spread, having a fully vaccinated team helps to safeguard our customers, our people and the communities we fly to.”

In response to TODAY’s queries, Jetstar Asia confirmed that the policy applies to its office-based employees as well.

"It is important for Jetstar Asia to implement the policy across the board as its corporate employees are based at Changi Airport and work closely with others in the office and there are often many people in our buildings,” it said, adding that there is “quite a lot of interaction” between office-based employees and front-line employees.

When asked what will happen to employees who decline vaccination, the company said that those with concerns about getting vaccinated or have medical reasons other than contraindications to vaccination will be managed on a “case-by-case basis”, in line with guidelines from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

MOM, together with the National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation, had on July 2 issued an advisory on Covid-19 vaccinations, stating that it is acceptable for employers to require Covid-19 vaccination as a company policy in higher-risk employment settings.

The advisory stated that employers, in general, should not make vaccination mandatory with the exception of a “small and exceptional” number of settings where some employees may be exposed to a higher risk of infection.

These include employees working in laboratory or healthcare units involved in the fight against Covid-19, aircrew, front-line maritime employees and hotel workers in contact with people serving their stay-home notice.

In such scenarios, employers may also impose this vaccination requirement upfront, at the point of recruitment or advertisement for new hires, it stated.

For those who decline vaccination, employers may redeploy them to another job with lower infection risk that is commensurate with their experience and skills. 

Businesses may also recover additional costs, such as those related to testing or stay-home-notice accommodation, by deducting salary, getting the employee to pay up, or by adopting a differentiated leave policy for vaccinated employees versus those who decline vaccination.

However, the advisory stated as well that under no circumstances should an employer terminate or threaten to terminate the service of an employee just because he or she declined vaccination.

Responding to TODAY's questions, MOM emphasised again that under the present advisory, employers may require vaccination as a company policy for settings with higher risk of exposure to Covid-19.

It added that it was reviewing the advisory with unions and employers, with a view to further drive up vaccination rates so that workplaces remain safe. The updated advisory will be issued soon. 

Jetstar Asia added in its reply to TODAY that the number of front-line employees who may have medical reasons for not getting vaccinated is “very small” and the airline will look at whether there are alternative measures that can be implemented that will allow them to continue to work safely.