Poland’s health ministry wants to allow medical facilities to make it compulsory for workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who refuse to do so could be fired.
The proposal is due to be discussed by the government and, if approved, put before the next session of parliament, health minister Adam Niedzielski told RMF FM. He expressed hope that it can come into force later this year.
The provisions are part of wider legislation put forward by the ministry last week that will allow employers to verify whether their staff have been vaccinated. Employees are currently under no obligation to disclose that information.
Such measures would help employers to manage employees based on the risk of infection and transmission, says Niedzielski. He argues that this would not be a form of “segregation” – as many opponents of vaccination requirements claim – but simply a way of ensuring the safety of staff.
Under the legislation, managers of healthcare facilities – such as hospitals and hospices – would be allowed to require their staff to be vaccinated. Niedzielski notes that no specific penalties are currently listed, but it “will probably [allow for] the possibility of parting with a worker”.
The health minister argues that, while controversial, such a step is “the best” solution and would be more effective than vaccination certificates. “It appeals to a sense of responsibility, which is very important in the performance of official duties,” he says.
Other countries have already introduced similar solutions. Latvia’s parliament recently passed a law allowing businesses to fire employees who refuse to vaccinate against COVID-19 or require them to switch to remote work.
Poland has now vaccinated more than 20 million people, or around 61% of its adult population, which is below the European Union average of 75%. Infections in Poland have recently been rising rapidly amid the onset of a fourth wave of the virus.
Main image credit: Marco Verch/Flickr (under CC BY 2.0)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
