The Manpower Ministry, NTUC, and the Singapore National Employers Federation have issued on 23 August 2021 an updated Tripartite Advisory that guides workplace COVID-19 vaccination policies.
The advisory will replace the one previously announced on 2 July 2021.
In the new advisory, the tripartite partners urged all employers to adopt the Vaccinate or Regular Test (VoRT) regime from 1 October 2021, which requires existing employees and new staff to either be vaccinated or undergo regular testing.
As announced earlier this month, the Public Service will be leading by example in implementing the VoRT.
“Although Singapore’s vaccination rates are one of the highest in the world, we need to continue to expand our vaccine coverage to optimise our resilience against COVID-19 … A fully vaccinated workforce ensures a safe workplace and safe environment for everyone,” the tripartite partners said.
Employers can adopt differentiated workplace measures for workers who are vaccinated and unvaccinated. Unionised companies should also consult with the unions before implementing the standards.
These differentiated measures include the frequency of COVID-19 testing, the participation of work and social events, and the redeployment of unvaccinated workers.
To minimise the risks of COVID-19 outbreaks at the workplace, employers may voluntarily adopt the VoRT regime and subject unvaccinated employees to more COVID-19 tests under the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) guidelines.
Employers can also have unvaccinated employees undergo Pre-Event Testing (PET) before participating in workplace events. They may also choose to implement reduced group sizes when unvaccinated employees participate in events, especially those involving mask-off activities.
On deployment, employers can choose to continue to deploy unvaccinated workers in higher-risk activities with regular testing. They may also redeploy these workers to another job that has a lower risk of COVID-19 infections.
However, workers should be redeployed to a job that tallies with their experience and skills. The worker and employer must also mutually agree to the redeployment if there is no existing redeployment policy within the organisation.
The advisory went on to state that employers can implement their own workplace measures. However, the measures must be reasonable, and employers must justify them if there are disputes.
Meanwhile, employers can make medically eligible, but unvaccinated workers bear additional costs related to COVID-19.
For example, employers can deduct the salaries these workers to cover the cost of their test kits and Stay Home Notice (SHN) accommodation.
Workers who are medically eligible but unvaccinated should use existing leave entitlements to cover additional days away from work if they are infected with COVID-19 or are serving a longer SHN or Self-Isolation Order.
If leave entitlements have been exhausted, employers may require such employees to go on no-pay leave.
Unvaccinated workers are usually discharged later from treatment or served with more extended SHN or Self-Isolation Order periods.
The medically fit, but unvaccinated workers may also be excluded from medical benefits associated with COVID-19, said the advisory.
However, employers should not terminate or threaten to terminate an employee based on their vaccination status.
“Employees, too, should do their part and get vaccinated as soon as possible. Doing so protects co-workers who are medically ineligible for vaccination and also protects oneself from severe outcomes should they be infected.
“Vaccination significantly strengthens our defences against COVID-19. However, it is still important for employers and employees, including those who are vaccinated, to continue observing the Safe Management Measures at workplaces, such as mask-wearing and where required, donning of Personal Protective Equipment,” said the tripartite partners.
