Employers very wary of ‘no jab, no job’ policy, says top oil and gas lawyer
ByAllister Thomas
Most oil firms would be “very wary” of trying to enforce a “no jab, no job” vaccine policy for its workforce, according to a top employment lawyer.
Robert Phillips, legal director at Addleshaw Goddard, who has worked with North Sea firms for the last decade, said it is “not possible” for employers to force workers to take a vaccine under current legislation.
There are only “very limited circumstances” where a vaccine could potentially be considered a condition for certain jobs, he added.
Mr Phillips was speaking at an Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) event on Tuesday, as the trade body said around one-third of the North Sea offshore workforce is on track to be vaccinated by mid-April.
The UK wants each adult to be offered a dose by the end of July, and OGUK said it would “certainly not be pushing for it to be mandatory” for its members.
