SHAH ALAM- The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has voiced out support for the "no-jab, no-job” policy as seen by Citigroup Inc in the United States.
MEF President Datuk Dr. Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the vaccine should be made mandatory unless the employee was certified by company medical doctor that he was medically unfit to be vaccinated.
He said it was a necessary policy that needs to be implemented in Malaysia to ensure the safety and health of the employees and the people.
"The move adopted by the Citigroup in the US is appropriate as employers, including in Malaysia are grappling with the need to bring back employees to the work premises and ensure their safety and health due to the threat of Covid-19 Omicron variant,” he said.
Syed Hussain said employers were allowed under the law to enforce such conditions like the "no-jab, no-job” policy before allowing their employees to enter their workplaces.
"Sections 15 and 17 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA) are among the legal provisions that impose a duty on employers to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of employees.
"Section 24 of the same act states that workers are under a similar responsibility to ensure their well-being and that of their co-workers.
"Based on these provisions, it would be reasonable for employers to request employees to be vaccinated,” he added.
Citigroup is the first major Wall Street bank in the US to make the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for employment of American workers as part of efforts to comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden for companies with federal contracts.
The firm announced earlier this week that they will fire those who fail to get themselves vaccinated by Jan 14.
On Thursday, Citigroup’s head of human resources Sara Wechter had said that 99 per cent of its US employees have complied with its vaccine mandate, one of the strictest on Wall Street.